- Organisation supported: Aktive, Auckland
- Project details: Water Skills for Life is a collaborative initiative that coordinates the delivery of water skills lessons to primary-aged tamariki across Tāmaki Makaurau. Four Winds’ funding supported the programme in Counties Manukau.
- Four Winds Foundation grant funding allocated: $50,000
Water safety is a crucial life skill in Aotearoa, where the close connection to water is part of everyday life for many.
As one of the key organisations responsible for encouraging participation in sport and recreation in Auckland, Aktive plays an important role in encouraging water safety, with the help of partners like the Four Winds Foundation.
With support from Four Winds, Aktive has been able to facilitate the delivery of its Water Skills for Life programme to tamariki in specific areas of Counties Manukau, focusing on those most vulnerable to water-related risk.
Since its inception in 2011, Water Skills for Life has reached over 100,000 school-aged tamariki, delivering more than 1.38 million lessons. Four Winds’ funding specifically supported schools with an Equity Index of 420 and above, ensuring equitable access to this life-saving education.
Eligible students received eight professionally delivered lessons designed to build confidence and core water competencies, including floating, treading water, safe entries and exits, and basic rescue skills. These lessons help tamariki learn how to keep themselves safe in, on, and around water.
Jennah Wootten, Chief Executive of Aktive, says: “Water Skills for Life provides freely available resources aimed at enhancing the quality and focus of aquatic programmes. This programme emphasises age-appropriate skills relevant to environments where drownings most commonly occur, such as beaches, rivers and lakes.”
Together, this partnership has strengthened water safety knowledge, created safer communities, and will have a lasting impact for generations to come.
Jennah continues: “Our ability to deliver Water Skills for Life, in pools across Auckland, depends hugely on the generosity of funders such as Four Winds Foundation whose support enables more children to participate,”.
“The recent grant from Four Winds Foundation directly supports eight schools in Counties Manukau which will help tamariki keep themselves safe in, on and around water.”
- Organisation supported: John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation, Auckland
- Project details: Support for The John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation's Community Swim Programme, which aims to provide free swimming and water safety lessons to children in South Auckland.
- Four Winds Foundation grant funding allocated: $75,000.
The John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation’s Community Swim Programme continues to deliver life-saving water skills to children in South and East Auckland, thanks to support from the Four Winds Foundation.
In Term 4 of 2024, the programme reached an impressive 4,640 children across 23 schools, delivering a total of 37,120 lessons. Over the 2024 year-to-date, the impact is even greater; 19,905 children have participated, receiving 159,240 free swimming lessons.
According to Rick Pickard, General Manager of the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation, this achievement would not have been possible without the ongoing backing of partners like Four Winds.
“The support of the Four Winds Foundation is truly valued as it is enabling us to meet the schools' demands with the increase in their roll numbers,” says Rick. “It simply is the kids, in Auckland’s area of greatest need, who are benefitting.”
The Community Swim Programme provides more than just lessons; it covers transport, pool and lane hire, and professional instructors, ensuring no barriers stand between a child and essential water safety skills.
The programme operates from Ōtāhuhu to Papakura, and has faced increasing pressure due to population growth and school roll increases.
“We’ve had to be very strategic,” Rick says. “The $75,000 in funding from Four Winds enables more than 20,000 water skills for life lessons to be delivered. That’s a tangible impact, measurable down to the dollar.”
The Community Swim Programme is soon to reach a significant milestone, Rick continues: “We are on track to deliver our 2 millionth free swimming lesson later this year. This will be a huge celebration as we reach this incredible milestone.”
The impact of this programme is felt deeply across the community, equipping tamariki with vital skills and confidence in the water.
“This is about inclusion and opportunity,” says Rick. “Every child, regardless of ability or circumstance, deserves this chance. We’re about helping every child strive to be their best, and we couldn’t do it without partners like Four Winds Foundation backing us where it counts most.”
- Organisation supported: Waka Pacific Trust, Manukau, Auckland
- Project details: Wero Climb, a16-metre-high climbing structure on the grounds of Wero Whitewater Park in Manukau, which is set to welcome up to 100 people at a time across its 78 climbing elements when it opens in mid-2025.
- Four Winds Foundation grant funding allocated: $740,000 over a number of grants.
Wero Climb, a 16-metre-high climbing structure on the grounds of Wero Whitewater Park in Manukau, is set to welcome up to 100 people at a time across its 78 climbing elements when it opens in mid-2025.
“Think of it as a gigantic jungle gym,” says Waka Pacific Trust Chief Executive David Comery. “It’s spread over three levels, each with varying degrees of difficulty, so you could be on the highest level but tackling an easier element – or lower down doing something really challenging.”
The $3 million project is fully funded thanks to a wide range of supporters, including the Four Winds Foundation, which has contributed $740,000 to date.
“Four Winds was the first funder with a $40,000 grant,” says David. “This enabled us to complete our due diligence and prepare a fulsome business case. This created the momentum to go forward allowing me to successfully approach other funders.”
“Four Winds has been a strong and loyal supporter of this Trust and our activities. During Covid we had a complete failure of our filtration system… Four Winds still supported us through a grant at a difficult time and we will never forget that.”
Wero Climb features a dual-connection safety system to allow flexible movement. Construction is due to finish in May 2025, with a target of 15,000 kids being able to climb the structure for free in its first year.
To honour Four Winds’ long-standing support, David says the Trust has renamed its premier 700-seat performance venue as the Four Winds Foundation Theatre. “We could not do this without the assistance with our capital expenditure needs from entities such as Four Winds.”
