A South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency has teamed up with Sport New Zealand to boost sporting and recreation development for rangatahi Māori.
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu has partnered with Sports New Zealand to distribute a new fund called Te Kīwai.
Worth $850,000, the fund will help rangatahi in the South Island become involved in sport, recreation and community activities.
Kīwai comes from the whakataukī "Ko koe ki tena, ko au ki tenei kiwai o te kete", which means, "You carry your handle and I’ll carry my handle, of our kete".
Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu chief executive Helen Leahy says the fund will allow each child and youth to receive $300 each to support them in sports, athletics, outdoor recreation and kapa haka.
"The whole focus of Te Kīwai is on supporting $300 of funding for tamariki, rangatahi, between the ages of five to 18 years of age so they can buy new boots or afford the travel, tournament fees, anything in the past that has often prevented them to realise their aspirations," Leahy says.
"We entered a relationship with Sports New Zealand so that we can fund our up-and-coming sportspeople to be able to achieve their dreams."