The Adastra Foundation has been providing scholarships to extraordinary young New Zealanders since 2007.

In that time, the Foundation has supported hundreds of athletes and performing artists with more than $2m and dozens of customised mentoring programmes.

In mid-2022, the Board completed a strategic review of its vision and purpose and agreed to refine its priorities. It wanted to ensure that it provided support where it was most needed and to those exceptional young people who might otherwise struggle to achieve their dreams. As such, consideration is also given to exceptional young people who face financial or personal hardship.

Adastra offers scholarships to extraordinary young athletes and performing artists (dancers, singer/songwriters and musicians), from Waikato and Bay of Plenty, who are seeking support in their pursuit of excellence. Our programme includes a cash scholarship and personal development workshops, specifically designed for young adults aiming to be the best they can be – on and off their stage. A key part of the Adastra ethos is the personal development programme guided by leading professionals in their field.

Adastra is grateful to be supported by Grassroots Trust, The Lion Foundation, TECT, The Brian Perry Charitable Trust, Craigs Investment Partners, The Acorn Foundation, Callum & Lindy Malcolm, the Merito & Hill Families, BDO Tauranga and Construction Advantage Limited.

Sponsored Scholarships

Adastra is delighted to offer sponsored scholarships where recipients are “tagged” with a sponsor.

We are excited to be able to offer Craigs Investment Partners scholarships. Craigs is one of New Zealand’s leading investment advisory firms. Their network of investment advisers are supported by an award winning research team to help clients achieve their investment goals. Achieving goals is important to the team at Craigs Investment Partners and they share that same passion for achieving investment goals with seeing young adults in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty communities achieve their life goals by pushing boundaries on the national and international stage.

We also offer sponsored scholarships with The Acorn Foundation, BDO, Construction Advantage, Callum & Lindy Malcolm and the Merito & Hill Family.

The Brian Perry Charitable Trust has been an integral cog in the Adastra wheel and has supported the programme since it’s inception.

The “Merito & Hill Family” scholarships are offered by Codi Merito, previous NZ representative BMX athlete and one of our Adastra alumni and Britt Hill. These scholarships are offered to 2 recipients who embody the values of Codi and Britt and show promise and drive in their endeavours.

Construction Advantage Limited is a Cambridge based construction company that delivers innovative construction projects, design and build, feasibility studies and management of commercial projects. The director and staff have a keen interest in sport and providing opportunity for a Cambridge recipient through their support of the Adastra programme.

BDO delivers leading accountancy, advisory, tax and assurance services to leading businesses and has offices nationwide. The Tauranga branch of BDO selects and supports a local recipient that aligns with the company values and brand.

Sponsored Scholarships are awarded after the standard application process (i.e. no further specific application is required).

The Sponsored Scholarships come with standard Adastra reporting requirements, plus further responsibilities to the sponsor, such as reasonable personal appearances and performance updates.