Boasting is not something the Haurakian Charitable Trust is known for.
But as the Trust approaches its 20th anniversary, the impact of its involvement and support within the Hauraki community is something worth celebrating.
The Haurakian Charitable Trust was created by a group of past students from Ngatea District High School and Hauraki Plains College in 2004, and would celebrate its 20 year anniversary on November 21.
The Trust’s purpose was to provide additional resourcing and opportunities to strengthen the educational, social and wellbeing outcomes for young people of Hauraki Plains College and the community.
Hauraki Plains College principal Sharon Moller told The Profile The Haurakian Charitable Trust (HCT) is a dedicated group of community members with a close connection to “our school”.
They also embodied the school’s values, she said, which are to teach students to be their best selves (rangatiratanga), to look after each other (manaakitanga), and to care for their environment (kaitiakitanga), she said.
Principal Sharon said HCT provided resources such as the Performing Arts Lodge, the Centennial Centre, the Hayward Farm, and heritage buildings to enhance the school’s learning programmes.
HCT also awarded financial scholarships and donated funds annually which allowed the school to support projects beyond their ministry funding, she said.
A recent example of their support included scholarships for the Hauraki Plains College Dux and Proxime Accessit, as well as funding for their Restricted Ready driving programme, she said.
“Hauraki Plains College is ‘more than a school’ because of our partnership with the Haurakian Charitable Trust.”
HCT chairperson Ciarán Tully told The Profile he enjoyed being part of a team that continued to develop the original vision of the Trust in enhancing the Hauraki Plains community in education, social and wellbeing areas.
Ciarán said the upcoming anniversary was about recognition and celebration of the vision of the original trustees who wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of the college staff and students, and community on the Hauraki Plains.
“If the college is going well, so is the community, and vice versa.
He also said it was an opportunity to share “our vision for the future”.
Ciarán said they were looking to develop a community facility at Number 11 Orchard Road, that Hauraki Plains “can be proud of”.
“It will be great to share that vision when we celebrate our anniversary.”
HCT Trustee Gill Leonard, who was the first chairperson and led for eight years, said the trust was formed after a few school reunions.
While Gill and the group of past pupils had a bit of money left over, she said there was “a really good vibe happening” in regards to the school doing well and being part of the community.
They wanted to “keep that spirit” going, she said – “so that’s how it started really”.
Gill said they aimed to be the best rural secondary school in New Zealand.
“That was our vision.”
But their mission was and still is to be the guardians of the Haurakian spirit, which was about being good neighbours, good community people with basic morals who looked after each other, she said.
“And we also wanted to use that trust to be able to access funding from outside the school’s capabilities because they’re really quite limited.
“And to ensure that the community has a legacy of excellence.”
Gill said they also wanted to use it to celebrate the past, but also to invest in the future.
“So that was the basics of it, why we started it.”
The trust would also hold its AGM on the evening of its anniversary event, Gill said.
While the anniversary celebration wasn’t a public event, Gill said it would be a dinner for past trustees, and a few speeches.
“It’s just low key, and that’s something that we, as a trust, has recognised – that we do not blow our own trumpet. We just get on there and do it.”
