A co-ordinated upgrade of indoor court facilities across four Whakatāne schools will proceed following confirmation of funding from the school boards, Trust Horizon, Bay Trust and the Lotteries Community Facilities Fund.

The project will deliver improvements to courts at Whakatāne High School, Trident High School, Whakatāne Intermediate and Allandale School, including flooring upgrades and line-marking, engineered hoops, scoreboards, shot clocks and associated electrical work.

Together, the upgrades will strengthen the network of indoor courts across the town for basketball and other indoor sports.

The initiative builds on many years of volunteer-led effort to grow basketball opportunities in the rohe by passionate and dedicated coaches and advocates such as Mike Te Kurapa, Te Ahuroa Cossey, Audz Lilkay, the Davis whānau and Tautiaki coaches, as well as many others.

Alongside, parents, players and community organisers have worked consistently to expand access for tamariki and rangatahi, despite limited facilities.

Project spokesperson and Te Aka Poitūkohu EBOP committee member Erin Green said the funding marked an important step forward for basketball in the region.

“He mahi roa tēnei. This has been a big group effort. The entire basketball community here in Whakatāne and Eastern Bay can feel proud of this result. Coaches, kura and whānau have done so much mahi to grow the game here over a long period of time. This funding means our facilities can now catch up with the passion we’re seeing from our rangatahi and hapori.”

Basketball is New Zealand's fastest-growing sport and is expected to become New Zealand's most popular secondary school sport in 2026. This was part of the reason four schools committed early to a collective approach, choosing to work together on a town-wide solution.

“There’s real power in saying yes to collaboration, and we really appreciate the schools jumping on board so willingly and putting in some of their own limited pūtea to the kaupapa,” said Green.

“By standing together as local schools, we’ve been able to secure an outcome that supports the whole hāpori, which is awesome,” said Trident High School principal Mikaere October.

“Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou ka ora ai te Iwi.”

The project team is grateful for the backing of iwi hauora providers, sports clubs, the Whakatāne Community Board, Mayor Nandor Tanczos and Whakatāne District Council, Sport BOP, Basketball NZ, TCBA and others.

“Council’s Alexandra Pickles, general manager community, was open and constructive from the beginning,” said Green. “It’s an example of a good community idea being met with a willingness from the council to add its voice to help to make it happen.”

Trust Horizon and Bay Trust provided significant early investment, enabling the project to meet co-funding requirements and leverage national funding through Lotteries.

The recent Lotteries Community Facilities Fund grant completed the funding package.

“We’re grateful to Trust Horizon and Bay Trust for seeing the value in this collective approach, and to Lotteries for backing our community.

“We know national funding doesn’t always flow equitably to lower-income districts, so it’s significant to see this level of investment coming into Whakatāne,” she said.

Work is expected to begin in the upcoming school holidays following Easter, with remaining stages planned for the July holidays. In parallel, the council is progressing planned upgrades to the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall, which will further strengthen indoor sport provision across the town, not just for basketball, but for volleyball and other indoor sports.

The announcement comes as Te Aka Poitūkohu Eastern Bay of Plenty Basketball, under coach Te Ahuroa Cossey, prepares to send its first representative team to the Mel Young Classic in Tauranga over Easter in the U18 boys age group.

“It’s pretty special to see these things coming together,” Cossey said.

“Better facilities, growing participation, and now great progress towards representative pathways, too. It reflects not just the real passion for basketball, but the depth of talent in our players.”

Te Aka Poitūkohu committee member Alice Cameron said their kaupapa was about reducing barriers, so youngsters could have a go and those who wanted to go all the way, had everything they needed to aim for excellence.