The Adastra Foundation

2 weeks ago

Meet @officialecks ! Born in Tāmaki Makaurau and raised in Kirikiriroa where he attended Hamilton Boys’ High School. A special place that fills Xavier’s cup is home and his church. The love and comfort provided by his whānau are what keep him happy and motivated!

His three proudest achievements are getting baptized, getting married, and representing New Zealand in Touch (2019) and Weightlifting last year at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships held in Saudi Arabia. He also competed in the Youth Junior/U23 Oceania Championships in Samoa, where he won Gold in the Juniors and Silver in the U23s!

Xavier’s short-term goal is to continue working hard on rehabbing his current injuries so he can get back to wearing the fern on his chest. His long-term goal is, as he says, “Leaving a legacy, creating generational wealth, being someone my kids can look up to, and achieving freedom.”

Xavier applied for this scholarship because he saw it as a great opportunity to meet and connect with others of similar age who also face similar challenges, as well as an opportunity to help each other. Additionally, the financial aid has been incredibly helpful in covering costs such as sports equipment, physiotherapy, and competition and travel fees!

A massive thank you to all our funders who support our recipients’ dreams! ... See MoreSee Less

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The Adastra Foundation

3 weeks ago

Brilliant effort by Rubi Hart and Keira Russell in the Condors 7’s tournament.
Both playing for Hamilton Girl’s High School in the final it was a draw until the final moments where Howick College took the win in golden time.

Huge congratulations to Rubi for being named Most Valuable Player and both Keira and Rubi being named in the tournament team. 👏👏👏

Codi Merito ... See MoreSee Less

The Adastra Foundation

3 weeks ago

Meet @caitlinnicolemusic ! Born and raised in Kirikiriroa, she was a pupil at Hamilton Girls’ High and has just finished her first year studying a Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Caitlin is a multitalented musician who plays guitar, piano, bass, and vocals, and also loves to write songs!

Caitlin says, “I try to live by having a growth mindset and knowing that I’m always moving on to bigger and better things. I want that for the people around me too.” Her growth mindset has definitely helped her achieve some amazing things, including recording at Bigpop, Roundhead, and Parachute Studios, and releasing her three songs (“Mine,” “Radical,” and “River Styx”) through the Play It Strange Songwriting Competitions. She also won the Waikato Smokefree Rockquest regionals in the solo/duo category!

Caitlin adds, “In the next year, I hope to release music of my own under a new solo project I’ve been working on! I really want to be playing gigs - as many as I can land. I just want to perform here, there, and everywhere!”

Caitlin applied for the Adastra Scholarship because she found out it supports more than just financially. She appreciated the personal development aspect of the scholarship and enjoyed attending workshops, meeting the other recipients, and hearing about their ambitions and careers.

Caitlin would like to thank “anyone who’s ever encouraged and inspired the confidence in me to express my love for music. Thank you to my music teachers in high school, my lecturers at Massey, and the biggest thank you to my roommates and best friends, who have really made this year incredibly rewarding. And, of course, thank you to Craigs Investment Partners and The Adastra Foundation.”Craigs Investment Partners ... See MoreSee Less

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The Adastra Foundation

1 month ago

Meet @mcnamaratamzyn ! Born in Tāmaki Makaurau and raised in Kirikiriroa, she currently attends Sacred Heart College. A special place that fills Tamzyn’s cup is Cooks Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula, where she grew up spending holidays with her cousins and friends.

Tamzyn’s future goals are to make the NZ Touch Blacks squad or the Black Ferns, depending on which path she takes. Ultimately, representing her whānau in a Black jersey is her dream! Tamzyn’s main motivation stems from her desire to be better every day, grow as an athlete, and make her whānau proud.

Tamzyn says she’s most proud of making the under-16 NZ Touch team and winning the under-16 Touch National Championship! She said, “This was super special, as the year prior, her team lost the final by one try.”

Tamzyn also said, “I would like to thank The Adastra Foundation for the support and funding throughout this opportunity. I am very grateful for everything they taught me over the workshops. I will continue recommending this foundation to teammates and friends, as it helped me boost my confidence and knowledge around growth.”

We wish Tamzyn the very best for her season and thank all of our funders who continue to support our recipients! ... See MoreSee Less