Halberg Foundation launches NZD $10m funding drive

The Halberg Foundation has launched a NZD $10 million philanthropic fundraising drive. It has also announced CityFitness as the first naming-rights partner of the Halberg Games.

The organisation wants to grow its investment capital from about NZD $5 million to NZD $15 million by 2030. It says the larger fund would provide a more stable income stream for adaptive sporting equipment, participation programmes and national events for young people with physical disabilities.

Halberg aims to increase annual grants for adaptive sporting equipment and participation opportunities from about NZD $250,000 to NZD $1 million. That would lift the number of grants awarded each year from roughly 380 to 1,000.

Founded more than 60 years ago by Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg, the charity is best known publicly for organising the ISPS Handa Halberg Awards. Its core work focuses on helping young people with physical disabilities take part in sport and active recreation.

Its programmes include support for schools and sporting organisations seeking to become more inclusive, grants for adaptive equipment, and sports events for children and young people who may otherwise miss out.

Funding model

Tom Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Halberg Foundation, said the charity wants to rely more on long-term invested funds alongside corporate support.

"We are fortunate to have strong corporate relationships and a relatively stable funding base, but if we want to significantly increase the number of young people we support, we need to think differently about how that growth is financed.

"Corporate sponsorships can be affected by economic conditions and changing business priorities. Building a larger investment fund would give us greater certainty and allow us to plan years ahead, rather than having to secure funding for individual programmes every year."

Smith said the profile of the Halberg Awards had helped build commercial relationships, but described philanthropy as the next step in expanding the charity's reach.

"For one night a year, we're celebrating New Zealand's sporting success. For the other 364 days, we're helping young people with disabilities experience the opportunities that sport provides.

"We're now looking for philanthropists who want to make a lasting contribution to that work. A substantial investment can generate income year after year, allowing us to help more young people without continually having to find new funding."

Games support

A new two-year agreement with CityFitness adds funding for the Halberg Games, a national sports festival for young people with physical disabilities. CityFitness will also continue sponsoring the Sir Murray Halberg Legacy Award, which recognises people making a difference in disability sport and their communities.

The Halberg Games bring together athletes aged eight to 21 from around New Zealand for three days of competition, recreation and social activity in Auckland. The event offers more than 25 sports and activities and is free for athletes to attend.

For some participants, the Games are their first chance to represent their region or compete with peers who have similar disabilities. Halberg says 239 young athletes took part last year, and it is targeting about 300 by 2030.

Smith said the organisation had chosen not to scale up the event too quickly because its residential format is designed to help athletes, parents and carers form connections beyond the sporting programme.

He said the event serves a broader purpose than identifying elite talent, even though some participants have later represented New Zealand at Paralympic level.

"For some of these young people, this is their first opportunity to wear their regional colours and represent their community.

"You might have two young people with the same type of impairment who live at opposite ends of the country and have never met anyone else with the same disability. Suddenly they're together, playing sport and making friends.

"It's also enormously valuable for parents, who can meet other families facing similar challenges and share experiences about everything from education to healthcare.

"We still hear about children with disabilities being excluded from school camps or sitting in the library while their classmates play sport. The Games give them the chance to experience things many other children take for granted."

Access barriers

CityFitness said its expanded backing reflected a broader goal of making physical activity easier for young people to access. The company is New Zealand's largest gym chain.

"Every young person should have the opportunity to experience the physical, social and emotional benefits of being active, regardless of their circumstances or abilities.

"For many of these athletes, the Halberg Games offer something other children experience through school competitions, regional tournaments and sports camps, but which they may otherwise miss out on.

"We want to help create more of those opportunities and support an event that gives young people the confidence to try new things, develop friendships and discover what they're capable of," said Tevita.

Smith said the cost of specialist equipment remained one of the biggest obstacles for families trying to keep children involved in sport.

"Adaptive equipment can be expensive, and for some families the cost puts participation out of reach.

"We want to reach a point where more young people can access the equipment and support they need without funding being the deciding factor. Building our investment capital is how we intend to make that possible."