Local Legends Success Stories

Over $50,000 donated so far for Local Legends Grant

Tauranga Crossing is not only a great shopping experience, but also through our Local Legends grants programme, we are improving the lives of our local community.
Since the Local Legends grant was created, we have donated over $50,000 to local people in need, community groups, sports clubs, and charities. It is always an incredible feeling to hear how our grants have helped.

One example of this is the Rangataua RFC U18 7’s team, who have recently returned to Tauranga after playing in the 2023 Tropical 7’s U18 Boys Competitions in Tampa, Florida.
The team was made up of 14 young men, mainly from Nga Papaka o Rangataua. Team Manager, Cheri Parkinson said “We came home Champions!! 2023 Tropical 7’s U18 Boys Elite grade winners. We won six out of six games over two days of competition against teams from all over the USA, Canada, and the UK.”
“At one event there were University Scouts and USA Rugby I.D. personnel from all over America attending. Out of 280 under 18 boys in our grade, at least 4-5 boys from the team made the top 10 in each event. The boys caught the eye of every single scout. The boys are now looking at full scholarships and academies and are currently in negotiations with a couple of universities.

“The grant from Tauranga Crossing Local Legends programme enabled our team to purchase all team travel apparel, including a unique playing jersey that the players got to keep as a momentum of the tour” she said.

Boobops Bay of Plenty used our Local Legends grant to purchase new paddles for their dragon boat competitions. The new paddles enabled the group to enter two teams into national, regional, and international competitions, and were the lucky charm, helping the team to win both regional and national medals. “We are a sisterhood of athletes that have met through having breast cancer and are out on the water, making the most of every day. Getting back to enjoying life after our journey is what it’s all about”. said team member, Judith Butler.

“We are so proud of our new paddles. They were a game changer for us, and we just loved being on the Tauranga Crossing Local Legends billboard”, she said.

Voting for Local Legends is currently open, with three local community groups selected through our nomination process: the BOP Steamrollers Wheelchair Rugby Team, the Merivale Community Incorporated and the Youth Search and Rescue Trust are all hoping to get your vote.

You can vote by visiting us in-centre at our Information Desk or online

If you know of a community group, sports club or charity that could benefit from our Local Legends grant then keep an eye on our Facebook page to see when nominations open to get your submission in.