Trust Tairāwhiti wraps up 2024 with over $99,000 in funding approved, supporting events and initiatives celebrating community, culture, and connection in Tairāwhiti.
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand was the largest recipient this round and will receive $45,000 for the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships. Drawing 1,500 athletes and 2,000 supporters, officials and volunteers, the event will boost the regional economy while showcasing Tairāwhiti as a destination for outdoor and water-based activities.
Local tamariki will be able to participate in beach safety and sustainability workshops led by Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and listen to mana whenua stories shared by Ngāi Tawhiri. The championships highlight Tairāwhiti as a hub for coastal events and water safety.
Te Kaunihera o Tūranganui-ā-Kiwa (Gisborne District Council) will receive $15,000 to support the annual ‘Fire in the Sky’ event, which will take place on 1 January 2025. Fire in the Sky has attracted up to 10,000 attendees for over two decades, appealing to everyone from locals to Rhythm and Vines festival-goers and holidaymakers.
The event features various highlights, including live performances, waka ama demonstrations, over 25 food and craft stalls, and a world-class fireworks display. In 2025, it will include more family-friendly activities, improved staging, and extra screens for better viewing.
Other recipients include:
- Ngā Whakarara Ngāti Hau Takutai Trust (Anaura Bay): $15,000 to establish an independent VHF (very high frequency) communication system and bolster emergency preparedness in the community with portable radios, a solar-powered repeater, satellite phones and inverter generators. The initiative also supports Civil Defence operations and local taiao projects, enhancing the Anaura Marahea area’s resilience and connectivity.
- Tairāwhiti Museum (Gisborne Museum of Arts and History): $10,000 towards Te Wharepora: A Sacred Space, an exhibition showcasing quilts made by takatāpui fabric artist, educator and storyteller Maungarongo Te Kawa. Grounded in Te Ao Māori, Maungarongo weaves traditional pūrākau into contemporary designs, revitalising ancestral stories. This exhibition broadens the scope of Māori art through quilting, differing from the carving, kōwhaiwhai and painting found in traditional exhibitions.
- Coastal Restoration Trust of New Zealand (CRT): $7,500 to hold its annual coastal restoration conference in Ūawa, Tolaga Bay. The conference includes speakers, workshops, and local field trips to discuss restoration methods. Established in 1996, CRT focuses on reducing the impacts of climate change and sea level rise by promoting sustainable coastal management and dune restoration, aiming to restore New Zealand’s coast using indigenous species.
- Tairāwhiti Māori Bowls: $5,000 towards the 2025 Aotearoa Māori Bowls Tournament (AMBT), held from 8 – 10 February 2025. The tournament, running for 50 years, encourages Māori participation, especially rangatahi, to join in with their whānau. Returning to Tairāwhiti for the fifth time, Fred Bristowe keeps the tournament’s mauri (life force) alive through the Tāonga Tuku Iho, passed down yearly to the host region.
- Makorori First Light Longboard Surfing Classic: $2,000 towards its 30th annual event, New Zealand’s longest-running longboard competition. The event will expand to two days of surfing, featuring multiple divisions and a social evening at a new eatery in Wainui.
All successful projects and initiatives supported were evaluated using the Trust’s wellbeing framework, He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora, to ensure they lead to meaningful outcomes for Tairāwhiti.
Trust funding rounds will reopen in January 2024.