Acknowledging Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust

Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust, known as The Youth Hope Trust, has been one of Waipuna’s most dedicated funding partners since 2015. For more than a decade, the Trust has invested in the employment of a specialist youth worker within Waipuna’s youth reintegration team, placing skilled, consistent support at the heart of our work with young people navigating the justice system.

“Tūmanako” means hope in te reo Māori, and that is precisely what this partnership makes possible. When a young person returns from custody or faces the prospect of reoffending, it is the worker funded by Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust who is there to meet them, walk alongside them, and help them chart a different course.

Over more than a decade of partnership, Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust has collectively invested more than $400,000 in this vital mahi. That investment reflects the Trust’s founding kaupapa: that every young person, regardless of what they have been through, deserves skilled, compassionate support toward a hopeful and fulfilling life.

Founded by Reon Nolan, whose own journey from a difficult youth to becoming one of New Zealand’s finest elite road cyclists and mountain bikers has shaped the Trust’s unique approach, Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust uses mentoring, sport, and outdoor challenge to build resilience and hope in young people. Their partnership with Waipuna reflects a shared conviction that relational, strength-based support changes trajectories.

We are deeply grateful for this partnership, and proud to stand alongside Te Rangatahi Tūmanako Trust in their commitment to the rangatahi of Canterbury. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.