Living Rugby

As well as supporting players and the familiies of people who have had life changing injuries, the New Zealand Rugby Foundation also plays a major role in the prevention of such injuries, Area School rugby support, safety and technical skill coaching and the development of players at a ‘grass-roots’ level.

Area Schools Programme

The Rugby Foundation fund this programme every year and have done so since 1994. It is an opportunity for young players from Area Schools (invariably in remote locations) to get noticed on the bigger stage. Our Executive Officer (Rocky Patterson) selects and coaches a NZ side after a series of regional trials. They play 2 to 3 representative games a year. A number of these players have been picked up by provincial academies and received scholarships to private schools as a result of exposure through this programme. The most decorated player to emerge from this programme is Zar Lawrence who has played 7’s for New Zealand and had a number of seasons playing for North Harbour.

Supporting Injured Players, their Families & Caregivers

Rugby plays a major role in shaping the psyche of New Zealanders as well as providing a vehicle for community cohesion. It is seen by many as central to the profile and recognition that New Zealand as a nation enjoys throughout the sporting world.

However, the reality is that rugby is a contact sport and very infrequently serious injuries occur. Law changes and other safety initiatives over recent years have been very successful in reducing the number of serious injuries. Sadly, despite these measures, we have had two serious spinal injuries in 2007.

The needs of rugby tetraplegics are as numerous as the victims are varied, so support for families, parents and caregivers is essential. It is the Rugby Foundation’s mission to financially support the 89 rugby players who have sustained serious injuries over a number of years. The aim of our work is to bridge the gap between ‘before’ and ‘after’ quality of life for seriously injured players. We are able to do this in a number of ways including:

Lifestyle retraining for the injured person, their spouse and family. A whole lifestyle change is required to cope with a disabled family member
Grants for needy injured players
Family education
Vocational training
Specialised transport
Respite care
The prevention of further critical injuries through rugby safety and injury prevention initiatives.

The Foundation is administered by a Board of Trustees whose members include former All Blacks and Notarary Public.