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Ten rural community hubs across New Zealand will receive $10,000 to upgrade their facilities, with one Good Deeds winner also awarded a full day of hands-on support from the Rabobank and The Country teams.
The competition attracted over 250 entries highlighting that rural community hubs play a key role in rural communities. To help with the difficult task of selecting the ten winners, we enlisted the support from members of Rabobank’s four client councils, with each selecting the winners from their respective region.
Te Miro Settlers Hall - Good Deeds winner
Raglan Surf Lifesaving Club
Pongakawa Community Hub
Poukawa Hall
Whangamōmona Public Hall
Waikaka Combined Sports Complex
Southern Rural Education Activities Programme (REAP) Community Hub – Winton
Hororātā Community Hall
Cheviot Combined Sports Club Incorporated
Riversdale Rugby Club
The Te Miro Settlers Hall (located near Cambridge) sits at the heart of the local rural community, and with Good Deeds funding, it will be transformed into a warmer, more comfortable space for school events, sports clubs and community gatherings. The teams from Rabobank and The Country will take part in a working bee, rolling up their sleeves to plant native trees, spruce up the surrounding gardens and carry out much-needed maintenance on the playground. Together, these improvements will help future-proof the hall, ensuring it remains a vibrant and welcoming hub for the Te Miro community for generations to come.
Nestled in the heart of Manawatū, Colyton School is a small rural primary school with a big vision for its students. Their winning Good Deeds initiative focused on rebuilding the school’s much‑loved bike track, a space where kids can ride confidently, explore, and create unforgettable memories. Our local Rabobank team is excited to roll up their sleeves for the working bee later this year.
Located near Raglan, the Te Mata Tennis Club has been a hub for the rural community over the past 50 years. However, the courts and club facilities were in need of an upgrade to restore them to their former glory. Our teams went to work revitalising this community centre and throughout the day, transported nearly 18 tonnes of drainage metal, layed weed matting, planted and mulched a new 300-square-metre native garden, water-blasted the courts, and installed a new tennis net. Te Mata Tennis Club treasurer Trina Parker said "I came back on the Friday morning after the working bee and the courts looked an absolute picture".
Beaconsfield Primary School is a small country school located 13km south-west of Timaru. The school caters for students from year 1 to year 8 and has a roll of just over 100 with most students coming from farming families.
Rabobank and The Country were impressed by the school's entry which outlined their vision to revitalise a local wetland called Lake Spode. With the help of the community and the Good Deeds funding, the school plan to clear the area of overgrown bush, plant native trees and open up the space for the community to enjoy.
Located 15km southeast of Te Puke, Te Ranga School is a seven-teacher school with a roll of approximately 150 children.
In the tract of native bush next to its grounds, the school has developed a ‘bush classroom’ which they’re using to teach students about sustainable practices, biodiversity and sound ecological management. The children are involved boots 'n' all and are in charge of multiple projects running in the tract. The school is very much the hub of the local rural community and the bush area is also being used for other community events.
A Kids’ Club set-up by local mums to provide local children with extra-curricular opportunities has been selected as the winner of the 2021 Rabobank Good Deeds competition.
The Kids’ Club is currently attended by 24 local kids between the ages of two and 12 and gives them an opportunity to get involved in a range of activities they’d usually have to travel a considerable distance to take part in.
Waitaki Boys’ High School is located in the Waitaki District of New Zealand’s South Island. With a roll of 450, the school has a proud heritage, and forward-looking and progressive approach to education.
The School Creek Restoration Project was the boys' vision to restore a natural creek that flows through the school grounds. Check out the video of the volunteer day where the Rabobank team helped out with this great project which deservedly won our Good Deeds 2020 competition.
Dargaville Primary School is the largest primary school in the Kaipara region on the West Coast of Northland. They have a roll of around 340 children and run a Garden Club that the children can participate in.
They focus on growing seasonal fruit and vegetables and cooking the produce available. The Garden Club spent their prize money and days labour on materials for the raised beds, a propagation table, fruit trees and a water tank to reduce their reliance on the water system.
Whareama School is located 45km East of Masterton and is the hub and lifeblood of the surrounding community. The school is staffed by 3 teachers and has an ever increasing role of 45 kids.
The school utilised their prize winnings on finishing projects that the kids had put their heart and souls into. This included finishing a tree house, finishing off vegetable gardens, finishing the BMX track and using the labour to put a trampoline in the ground.
The Hakataramea Valley is a unique farming region and despite the challenging climate it is renowned for producing quality livestock and produce. The Hakataramea Sustainability Collective wanted to re-create the once popular community area located at the lower end of the Hakataramea River.
Their goal was to ensure that the opportunity to enjoy the unique Hakataramea river was open to all. The collective spent their prize money and days labour on weed eradication, plants, planting and various gardening activities.
