It is a pleasure to present my report on behalf of the Board. At our AGM, I will have completed two years as chai and this
report gives me the opportunity to look back on our recent achievements and what lies ahead.
TYCT is a well-respected and well run outfit, involving itself in our local community with a cross-section of local sportsmen
and women as part of our team of volunteers.
TYCT enjoyed a full and rewarding year in getting more people in our community more active, more often. Thank you to Amy
Perez (TYCT Manager) for the tireless hours that she dedicates to all components of TYCT and to the high standard of delivery
given to all domains. Thank you to the TYCT Trustees for the effort and support they have given to ensuring we ‘Help people
reach their potential’.
I also want to recognise the ongoing support of our Board, local council, funders and partners who help us to
achieve our goal of getting the community active. Many community groups and businesses have shown fantastic
support of TYCT and the work it does. Without this support we would have little hope of achieving our goal of
‘Helping people reach their potential’.
There have been many highlights for the year and amongst them has been the continued growth and development
of TYCT with 20 codes/activities being supported and umbrellaed under TYCT. Our drive for more Community
Events in the community has continued with TYCT taking a leading role in Interschool Activities, as well as multiple
Twilight Sports.
We understand that in today’s world, events offer our community a quick and convenient way in which TYCT can
engage with, and continue to work closely with local schools and groups to encourage more opportunities for our
local people to be active. Significant advancements have been made in increasing the exposure of the Trust, with
regular editorials in the local paper, and Facebook posts of updates of what's happening locally with events offered
by TYCT.
At its heart, sport and recreation is about community. The role of TYCT in this respect has been outstanding over
the last 12 months, as we continue to strive towards our vision of ‘Supporting the educational, social and physical
development of Taumarunui youth and community members’.
The evidence of the effectiveness of TYCT can be found in:
● Enhanced interschool activities for the primary school aged children
● New activities offered within the community such as orienteering, mud run, tag rugby, rippa rugby, and karate
● Strengthened capacity of local clubs and other sport and recreation providers
● Assistance for groups and the overall community, where sport and recreation can be a vehicle for
● improved health outcomes for all ages
● Support for a number of fun, entertaining and exciting sports and recreation based events within
● Taumarunui
● Increased resources for various sporting codes with Taumarunui
● Empowering community volunteers with over 200 volunteers giving their time and valued skills
Other activities which TYCT have been involved with include:
● Teaching at the local Taumarunui High School
● Providing leadership opportunities for local High School students
● Providing communal community resources
● Supporting other local Trusts to work collaboratively to help enhance better community outcomes.
As with any organisation, there are many challenges that lie ahead. The continued importance of obtaining
funding will continue to be an ongoing challenge. With growing numbers, the workload of our TYCT Manager is of
concern, and the need for an employed administrator position in the near future is vital. While the need to fund
two paid roles is a massive challenge, it is also a positive one, and clearly shows the growth TYCT has made over
the last two years.
Overall, the progress that TYCT has made over the past year has been very positive, with many steps in our
strategic plan being achieved or a work in progress. I look forward to the year ahead and continuing to be active,
involved and visible in our community, and with our youth.

Kyra Leatuafi (Chairperson)

It is a pleasure to present my report on behalf of the Board. 

At our AGM, I will have completed two years as chair and this report gives me the opportunity to look back on our recent

achievements and what lies ahead.

TYCT is a well-respected and well-run outfit, involving itself in our local community with a cross-section of local sportsmen and

women as part of our team of volunteers.

TYCT enjoyed a full and rewarding year in getting more people in our community more active, more often.  Thank you to Amy Perez (TYCT Manager) for the tireless hours that she dedicates to all components of TYCT and to the high standard of delivery given to all domains.   Thank you to the TYCT Trustees for the effort and support they have given to ensuring we ‘Help people reach their potential’.

I also want to recognise the ongoing support of our Board, local council, funders, and partners who help us to achieve our goal of getting the community active. Many community groups and businesses have shown fantastic support for TYCT and the work it does. Without this support we would have little hope of achieving our goal of ‘Helping people reach their potential’.  

There have been many highlights for the year and amongst them has been the continued growth and development of TYCT with 20 codes/activities being supported and umbrellaed under TYCT.  Our drive for more Community Events in the community has continued with TYCT taking a leading role in Interschool Activities, as well as multiple Twilight Sports.

We understand that in today’s world, events offer our community a quick and convenient way in which TYCT can engage with, and continue to work closely with local schools and groups to encourage more opportunities for our local people to be active.  Significant advancements have been made in increasing the exposure of the Trust, with regular editorials in the local paper, and Facebook posts of updates of what's happening locally with events offered by TYCT.

At its heart, sport and recreation is about community. The role of TYCT in this respect has been outstanding over the last 12 months, as we continue to strive towards our vision of ‘Supporting the educational, social and physical development of Taumarunui youth and community members’.

The evidence of the effectiveness of TYCT can be found in:

• Enhanced interschool activities for the primary school-aged children

• New activities offered within the community such as orienteering, mud run, and tag rugby

• Strengthened capacity of local clubs and other sport and recreation providers

• Assistance for groups and the overall community, where sport and recreation can be a vehicle for improved health outcomes for all ages

• Support for a number of fun, entertaining and exciting sports, and recreation-based events within Taumarunui

• Increased resources for various sporting codes with Taumarunui

• Empowering community volunteers with over 200 volunteers giving their time and valued skills

Other activities which TYCT have been involved with include:

• Teaching at the local Taumarunui High School

• Providing leadership opportunities for local High School students

• Providing communal community resources

• Supporting other local Trusts to work collaboratively to help enhance better community outcomes.

As with any organisation, there are many challenges that lie ahead.  The continued importance of obtaining funding will continue to be an ongoing challenge.  With growing numbers, the workload of our TYCT Manager is of concern, and the need for an employed administrator position in the near future is vital.  While the need to fund two paid roles is a massive challenge, it is also a positive one, and clearly shows the growth TYCT has made over the last two years.

Overall, the progress that TYCT has made over the past year has been very positive, with many steps in our strategic plan being achieved or a work in progress.  I look forward to the year ahead and continuing to be active, involved, and visible in our community, and with our youth.

Kyra Leatuafi (Chairperson)

This will be my fourth ‘Report from the Chair’.  I have had the honour of being the Chairperson of Taumarunui Youth and Community Trust (TYCT) for four years.  They have all been memorable and challenging years, with us moving from strength to strength, remaining true to our values and working hard for our community.

Our 2019-2020 presented the extra challenge of COVID-19, which saw the cancellation of many of our events and programmes.  The return to Level 2 presented further challenges, adjusting how programmes are run in order to enable events and programmes to continue.  We are fortunate that our community has been so supportive during these unprecedented times, and with adjustments made in order to follow COVID guidelines, the majority of our events and programmes have been able to run under Level 2.  Under Level 3 and Level 4, TYCT continued to interact with our community and schools, running a daily fitness challenge, which was well received from all.  Like other organisations and businesses we took a financial hit during lockdown with no fees and registrations, as well as usual fundraising opportunities unable to occur.  

COVID or no COVID, TYCT continues to be a well-respected and well run outfit, and we have built a strong reputation for ourselves.  Our position in the community, over the last 4 years, has grown extensively and we are now well known, respected and known to organise well run events and programmes.  Regular publicity via our TYCT website and activity websites, facebook pages and regular exposure in our local newspaper, keeps our community well informed and has given us increased exposure.  

Once again, thanks must go to Amy Perez (TYCT Manager) for the high standard of delivery, expertise and professionalism that she continually gives to all areas of TYCT.   We are, indeed, fortunate to have her dedication, forward thinking and leadership.  Thank you to the TYCT Board for the willingness to take TYCT to the next level, and for being open and honest about our next steps.  As a Board, we are continually developing and revising our governance role, each bringing to the team different strengths.  The journey ahead for our TYCT team will continue to be challenging but all in all, exciting and positive for our community. 

We have been fortunate to have the continued support of our Board, local council, funders and partners who help us to achieve our goal of getting the community involved and active. Our goal of ‘Helping people reach their potential’, has had increased support from community groups and businesses, with interschool sport activities being supported by a local sponsor.

It has been pleasing to see the relation with the Taumarunui High School continue in 2019-2020, with a group of students doing an internship each Friday, being active, getting involved in the community and working alongside TYCT.  They are involved in each interschool event throughout the year, with students receiving focussed learning and skills prior to the event.  Thank you to the Taumarunui High School, Vervier Coop and Hutia Edwards for your support of the events that TYCT run and are involved in.  

We have been fortunate to recently employ Mary Blackman in an admin role, as support for our Manager Amy Perez.  While this is a fixed term position, and possible only if there is funding available, we are excited to have the chance to both lighten Amy’s load and the opportunities that can arise by having another employee.  We continue to face the massive hurdle of being restricted to certain funders that we can access because of our location, however maintaining the admin role as a fulltime position is the end goal.  

We understand that in today’s world, events offer our community a quick and convenient way in which TYCT can engage with, and continue to work closely with local schools and groups to encourage more opportunities for our local people to be active.

We have so many great positives in our community to be grateful for and I am proud that TYCT works hard to discover, highlight and build on these positives.  Overall, the progress that TYCT has made over the past year has been very positive, despite the many COVID-19 disruptions.  

I look forward to the year ahead and continuing to be active, involved and visible in our community, and with our whanau and youth.

Kyra Leatuafi 

I have had the honour of being the Chairperson of Taumarunui Youth and Community Trust (TYCT) for five years.  They have all been memorable and challenging years, with us moving from strength to strength, remaining true to our values and working hard for our community.

Over the last year, we have continued to face the challenges of COVID-19.  I am proud of our staff's efforts to continue connecting with our community during lockdowns via Facebook posts and small activities for whanau at home.  It was pleasing to see the uptake in our community for the Virtual Cross Country challenge, as we were unable to run our Interschool Cross Country event.  I believe that we have successfully adapted our events (where necessary) to ensure they can continue when Covid restrictions are in place.  Like other organisations and businesses we took a financial hit during lockdown with no fees and registrations, as well as usual fundraising opportunities unable to occur.  

A highlight of the year was the production and launch of our TYCT promotional video.  Thanks must go to our staff, Sport Wanganui, Community Waikato and the many people who willingly gave their time to contribute to the video.  Lamp Studios did a fantastic job compiling a 5-minute video that represents where TYCT has come from, what we represent and the drive we have to provide for our community.

We continue to grow our position and exposure in the community through regular publicity via our TYCT website and activity websites, facebook pages and regular exposure in our local newspaper.  The hosting of two national boxing tournaments by our Taumarunui Silverback Boxing Academy (TSBA) has seen this positive exposure expand throughout New Zealand. Both tournaments had competitors and teams attending from all over New Zealand, travelling from as far away as Auckland and Christchurch.  TSBA ran two very successful, high-calibre tournaments which were highly commended by all attendees, competitors, visitors and locals alike.

We were fortunate to have two new employees join us at the start of 2021.  We were able to employ Melanie Leatuafi on a 12-month contract in the Community Activator role, and Mary Blackman in a Holistic Health coach role on a 6-month contract.  Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, we were unable to continue Mary’s role.  We continue to face the massive hurdle of being restricted to certain funders that we can access because of our location, as well as the effect of Covid on funders.   Maintaining both a Manager’s role and a full-time admin role continues to be the ultimate goal regarding staffing.

Once again, thanks must go to Amy Perez (TYCT Manager) for the high standard of delivery, expertise and professionalism that she continually gives to all areas of TYCT.   We are, indeed, fortunate to have her dedication, forward thinking and leadership. Amy has embraced and persevered through the changes and challenges involved with having paid staff under her, and this has been a learning curve for both Amy and the board.  Thank you to the TYCT Board for your willingness to take TYCT to the next level, and for being open and honest about our next steps.  As a Board, we are continually developing and revising our governance role, each bringing to the team different strengths.  There are always things to work on and improve, and I am proud to work alongside a team that isn’t afraid to identify our flaws and work hard to make them our strengths. The journey ahead for our TYCT team will continue to be challenging, but all in all, exciting and positive for our community. 

We have been fortunate to have the continued support of our Board, local council, funders and partners who help us to achieve our goal of getting the community involved and active.  It has been exciting to have conversations start with Ruapehu District Councillors from different areas in the Ruapehu district about how we can begin to expand some of what TYCT does to their areas.  Alongside Sport Wanganui, TYCT was involved in organising a Ruapehu District Year 9/10 6-week interschool netball tournament, the Central Plateau Netball Competition.  This involvement was an exciting project for TYCT, as the long-term goal of TYCT is to be visible in all areas of the Ruapehu district.

It has been pleasing to see the relationship with the Taumarunui High School continue in 2020-2021, with TYCT working alongside the iSports internship happening each Friday.  They are involved in each interschool event throughout the year, with students receiving focussed learning and skills before the event.  Thank you to the Taumarunui High School and Hutia Edwards for your support of the events that TYCT run and are involved in.  

TYCT continues to see the importance of events as a quick and convenient way to engage with and work closely with local schools and groups to encourage more opportunities for our local people to be active.

We have so many great positives in our community to be grateful for and I am proud that TYCT works hard to discover, highlight and build on these positives.  Overall, the progress that TYCT has made over the past year has been very positive, despite the many disruptions and challenges.    I look forward to the year ahead and continuing to be challenged, active, involved and visible in our community with our whanau and youth.

Kyra Leatuafi (Chairperson)

The past year has been another excellent year for TYCT. It has been pleasing to have some normality back following Covid, and to be able to have events and activities go ahead without having to cancel or have restrictions.  

Some of my personal highlights from this year include:

• The many accomplishments of our Silverback Boxing team, including holding another successful tournament here in Taumarunui, and the great success at the NZ Golden Gloves tournament.

• The growth and increase in numbers with the iSports internship

• The continuation of the Central Plateau Netball competition

• Extension to Central Plateau Sports with the addition of Basketball

• Another great TYCT promotional video

As always, we are grateful for the continued support of our Board, local council, funders, partners and our very dedicated volunteers, who help us to achieve our goal of getting the community involved and active.

Our success is also directly linked to the hard work of our Manager, Amy Perez. We have made extraordinary progress this year, and I’d like to personally thank Amy for the energy, commitment and consistency in driving TYCT forward.

TYCT continues to see the importance of events being a quick and convenient way in which we can engage and work closely with local schools and groups to encourage more opportunities for our local people to be active and involved in a community focused on bettering the opportunities for our Taumarunui community.

We have so many great positives in our community to be grateful for and I am proud that TYCT works hard to discover, highlight and build on these positives. Overall, the progress that TYCT has made over the past year has been very positive. I look forward to the year ahead and continuing to be challenged, active, involved and visible in our community with our whanau and youth.

We are excited about possible opportunities to see continued growth and expansion, and continue to work at putting plans in place and creating relationships to make this happen. 

Thank you all for another excellent year. I look forward to continuing to break barriers in 2023/2024 with you all.

Kyra Leatuafi (Chairperson)

It has been a privilege to serve as Chairperson of the Taumarunui Youth and Community Trust.   Reflecting on this time, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made as an organisation and the impact TYCT continues to have across our community.

As someone who was raised in Taumarunui and later returned after completing my Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Sports Coaching and Management at Massey University, the community has always been at the heart of what I do. After training as a teacher and beginning my career in one of our local primary schools, I have remained passionate about supporting young people and helping create opportunities for them to grow, connect, and thrive.

This passion is what drew me to Taumarunui Youth & Community Trust. I have always believed strongly in the kaupapa of TYCT — ensuring our youth and community have opportunities to be active, involved, and healthy.

Over the past two years, TYCT has continued to grow its reach and strengthen its presence within the community. Through initiatives such as iSports, interschool events, community activations, and partnerships with local organisations, we have continued to provide meaningful opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and stay active.

These achievements would not have been possible without the incredible support of so many people. I would like to acknowledge our dedicated Board members, whose guidance and commitment help shape the direction of the Trust. Our staff, volunteers, and programme leaders continue to give countless hours to ensure activities run smoothly and that our youth have positive experiences.

A special acknowledgement must also go to Amy Perez, TYCT Co-Founder and Manager. Amy’s tireless work behind the scenes, her passion for youth development, and her ability to bring people together continue to drive the organisation forward. TYCT simply would not operate at the level it does without her leadership and dedication.

I would also like to thank our schools, community groups, funders, and whānau who continue to support the work of TYCT. Your belief in what we are doing allows us to continue creating opportunities for young people across our region.

Serving as Chairperson has been an honour, and I am extremely proud of what TYCT stands for in our community. The Trust has grown into an organisation that not only provides sport and activity opportunities, but also strengthens community connections and supports youth leadership.

While my time in this role now comes to an end, I remain incredibly proud of the journey we have been on together and confident that TYCT will continue to grow and positively impact our community for many years to come.

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has supported this kaupapa.

​​​​​​​Kyra Leatuafi (Chairperson)