{"id":19133,"date":"2023-06-27T11:30:58","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T23:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/?p=19133"},"modified":"2023-12-14T22:04:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T09:04:28","slug":"heartland-raised-cyclone-funds-provide-financial-relief-for-rugby-participants-on-the-east-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyheartland.co.nz\/wp\/2023\/06\/27\/heartland-raised-cyclone-funds-provide-financial-relief-for-rugby-participants-on-the-east-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartland-raised cyclone funds provide financial relief for rugby participants on the East Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

While New Zealand rugby\u2019s 12 Heartland Provincial Unions are highly competitive on the field, the strength of their bonds off it are as strong as ever following the devastation of cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The cyclone left thousands of rugby participants in Poverty Bay and Ng\u0101ti Porou East Coast dealing with the impact, which has still to this day made it difficult for people to register for sport.<\/p>\n

As a result, funds were raised by the unions in conjunction with the New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) and Sport Gisborne Tair\u0101whiti\u2019s initiative \u2018Pay Half, Play Hard\u2019, intended to remove financial barriers enabling players to play club rugby either at a reduced cost or for free.<\/p>\n

The funds will provide financial support for approximately 4,000 rugby players across Poverty Bay and Ng\u0101ti Porou East Coast.<\/p>\n

Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union CEO Ray Noble said the priorities of the organisation had shifted since the cyclone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the weeds rugby goes out the window, you think about supporting communities as a whole whether that\u2019s shovelling silt or providing goods and services that was more important to us,\u201d Noble said.<\/p>\n

The Heartland fundraising drive was initiated by Mid-Canterbury Rugby Union CEO Tanya Dearns who at the time was running garage sales in an old storage unit and raised a significant amount of money from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the garage sales I spoke with our board around what we could do with the money and suggested we supported our Heartland unions on the East Coast to provide them with some form of support,\u201d Dearns said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI then put the challenge out to my colleagues in the Heartland community and said, \u2018hey who wants to jump on the bandwagon?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Heartland unions – Buller, Horowhenua-Kapiti, King Country, Mid-Canterbury, South-Canterbury, North Otago, Thames Valley, Wairarapa Bush, Wanganui and West Coast – combined fundraising efforts of $2,000 each.<\/p>\n

North Harbour Rugby Union also supported the efforts with $2,000 and New Zealand Rugby contributed $5,000, bringing the total up to $27,000. Other unions such Northland donated framed NPC jerseys, while Waikato gave a monetary gift.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us all to come together is the epitome of what we\u2019re all about at Heartland. We talk about rugby being the heart of our communities and it truly is,\u201d Dearns said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the East Coast their hospitality is amazing, they welcome you with open arms and this gesture is a way of giving back and letting them know we support them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to be able to help them continue on with the things they\u2019re doing without it heavily impacting their participation numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noble said when the region was in response mode it made the gesture that much more unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo learn what our unions had done was awesome you feel privileged and humbled when something like this happens,\u201d Noble said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce there was a sense of normality the recovery process included getting people back out there playing rugby.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a lot of our players they\u2019re a part of the primary industries which took a big hit so we were worried about our player numbers, but the cyclone had the opposite effect, we\u2019ve got more people playing than we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ng\u0101ti Porou East Coast Rugby Union CEO Leroy Kururangi said the gesture was a testament to the close relationships between the unions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very grateful for our fellow Heartland unions, united we\u2019re strong,\u201d Kururangi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a small union ourselves but have learned to remain positive while we adapt to unfortunate circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pay Half, Play Hard:<\/strong><\/p>\n