Future champions receive a helping hand

Eight outstanding young Whanganui athletes have been awarded with grants to support them in their international sporting endeavours.

The first Mitre 10 MEGA Whanganui Future Champions Trust funding round for 2025 has seen a total of $9,250 granted to eight young athletes across five sports.

Recipients announced for this funding round were:

• Zoe Anderson (Kayaking) – selected as part of the Under-16 New Zealand Kayaking team to compete at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in Komatsu, Japan in May 2025.
• Nevaeh Blake (Touch Rugby) – Selected for the New Zealand Under-20 Mixed Touch Team to compete at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup (APYTC) in Queensland in May.
• Mollie King (Weightlifting) – selected as part of the New Zealand team to attend the Youth and Junior World Championships in Peru in April-May 2025, and has qualified for the Commonwealth Youth/Junior Championships in India in August.
• Juliet McKinlay (Athletics – Heptathlon) – selected as part of a New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics team to tour California, USA in April 2025. Juliet will compete at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational and Mt. SAC Relay events.
• Chase Morpeth (Speed Skating) – based out of Geisingen, Germany, Chase has qualified to represent NZ at the Inline Speedskating World Games in Chengdu, China in August and Inline Speedskating World Champions in Beidahe, China in September.
• Teresa Rennie (Touch Rugby) – Selected for the New Zealand Under-20 Women’s Touch Team to compete at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup (APYTC) in Queensland in May.
• Alexis Toy (Kayaking) – selected as part of the Under-16 New Zealand Kayaking team to compete at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in Komatsu, Japan in May 2025.
• Gabriella Valentine (Speed Skating) – selected to compete at the 20th Asian Roller Sport Games for speed skating, held in Jecheon City, South Korea in July.

The Mitre 10 MEGA Whanganui Future Champions Trust aims to give young people a “hand up” to reach their full potential in their chosen sport. Over the last decade, the Trust has granted close to $110,000 to more than 80 individual athletes.

The Trust supports youth athletes who have generally been selected to represent New Zealand at age-group level, aged between 13-23.

Trust chair Philippa Baker-Hogan said “the high calibre of applications we received is reflected in the number of outstanding recipients in this round – it is fantastic to see several previous recipients who have represented New Zealand already at their respective sports returning to continue on their pathways, as well as some who are set to have their first ever international event experience. We wish them all the best in their endeavours.”

Athletes interested in applying for funding support are encouraged to visit the Trust’s website to assess the criteria for the fund, and to download an application form. Funding rounds are held three times annually in February, June, and October.

The Trust is thankful for the generous support from Mitre 10 Mega Whanganui, Arthur Wheeler Leedstown Trust, Shane Stone Builders, Sport Whanganui and the many local businesses and individual donors who have provided support over the years.

All levels of support are appreciated and interested businesses are also encouraged to contact the trust via futurechampionstrust.org.