Let Te Kīwai be the stepping stone to help your tamariki and rangatahi thrive in their sport of choice, taonga tākaro, or kapa haka.

About Te Kīwai

Te Kīwai is a fund delivered in partnership between Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa to support Māori wellbeing through active play, taonga tākaro and kapa haka by helping remove barriers to participation in sport and recreation.

Te Kīwai is open to Māori aged 5 to 18 years living in Te Waipounamu, Rakiura and Rēkohu/Wharekauri who are experiencing financial hardship and need that little extra support to gear up and get active.

Eligible tamariki/rangatahi can apply for up to $300 per annum to contribute to:

  • – Uniform
  • – Equipment
  • – Participation costs e.g., membership fees or club fees
  • – Transportation e.g., petrol voucher.

Funding is available to eligible applicants once annually (*subject to availability) and is distributed in the form of vouchers to a specific store (e.g., Rebel Sport), fuel vouchers, or direct transfer to the bank account of a club, kura or organisation. You may need to provide some supporting information as part of your application.

Check the list below and make sure you have everything you need before you start the application process:

  • – If you are applying for vouchers on behalf of your child, you will need to provide proof that your child is an active participant (Letter of Support).
  • – If you are applying for fees/subs to be paid directly to a sports club/gym, you will need to provide an invoice for those fees.
  • – If you are a coach or team manager and would like to apply on behalf of a child in your team, please provide a letter of consent documenting that you have the permission of the whānau to do so.

FAQs about Te Kīwai

Unfortunately, we do not reimburse funds covered by the whānau. If you have already paid for fees associated with the club you can instead apply for vouchers to purchase new gear for your rangatahi/tamariki.

If you are requesting vouchers, you will need a letter of support from the coach/kura/club confirming your rangatahi/tamariki is an active participant in their activity. If you want the payment made directly to the club/kura/team you will need to provide an invoice for the relevant fees.

Keep an eye on this page for opening and closing dates for Te Kīwai. Application periods are determined by availability.

If you have applied for vouchers and are approved, you will receive a letter of approval from Te Kīwai kaimahi. In most cases, vouchers for equipment will be sent via email, while petrol vouchers will be posted by courier to the address submitted on your application. A signature will be required on delivery. Please ensure the email and home address your provide in your application are current and valid.

You can apply for more than one activity; you will just need to submit a separate application for each activity and ensure that altogether the funds requested don’t exceed $300.

Unfortunately, we are no longer able to accept group applications on behalf of teams, clubs or marae/rūnaka. However, we encourage coaches and clubs to support whānau to submit individual applications on behalf of the tamariki/rangatahi in their whānau.

Enquire about our Te Kīwai fund

He pātai āu? Check out the FAQ above, or fill out the form below.