Category One tertiary education provider, NZMA, has teamed with Olympic gold medallist Rob Waddell’s organisation “Waddell”, to make participation in sporting and extracurricular activities accessible to more young people.
The NZMA School Sponsorship Programme in partnership with Waddell is funding eight schools in South Auckland. The schools included in the school sponsorship programme are Manurewa High School, Southern Cross Campus, James Cook High School, Ōtāhuhu College, Papakura High School, Aorere College, Alfriston College and Papatoetoe High School.
As part of the NZMA School Sponsorship Programme, the schools will receive funding support for nominated sporting and extracurricular activities. NZMA is also hosting on-campus fundraising dinners throughout 2023 to raise additional funds for each of the eight schools.
NZMA CEO, Kylie Wilson says activities outside of the classroom are a vital part of the overall education experience.
“We believe every learner has the potential to succeed with the right support and care, and we are proud to be doing our bit by funding schools to give them the opportunity to participate in activities either at a local or national level.
“NZMA prides itself on being a community-first education provider, and we have been supporting learners and local businesses in the South Auckland community for over 25 years. This partnership is a natural extension of that,” says Wilson.
The schools are leveraging the NZMA School Sponsorship Programme for a variety of activities. To date, the funding has helped Alfriston College participate in the National Secondary School Softball Tournament in Christchurch and Manurewa High School attend the National Volleyball Championships in Palmerston North.
Waddell CEO, Rob Waddell, says positive experiences with sports at school can be life-changing for students but sadly participation is not always accessible for all.
“We are privileged to have brought this partnership together between NZMA and several South Auckland schools.
We know that sports can play an influential role in our communities and that rising costs can be a real barrier to participation.
This is incredibly generous of NZMA to be supporting the schools and we have been delighted with the response to date,” says Waddell.
