Empowering Far North Students to Achieve Their Goals

We know education is the single most powerful way to transform futures and communities. So we’re working to give life-changing educational opportunities to some of New Zealand’s most under-privileged kids. Every year, the Enable Rangatiratanga Charitable Trust aims to help at least one promising Far North student further their education at a residential secondary school by providing them with a full scholarship as well as psychosocial support.

The Enable Rangatiratanga Charitable Trust was founded by Fraser Smith, in collaboration with the Takapuna Rotary Club, in 2020. At the time, Fraser was Principal of Oturu School in Kaitaia. The students at Oturu come from some of New Zealand’s most challenging socio-economic environments. While there, Fraser realised that some of his most promising students needed the kind of intervention that only live-in boarding school could provide. But there was no money in the community to make that a reality.

This insight drove Fraser to work with charitable trusts, social workers, and voluntary organisations to bring together the necessary resources to set up the Enable Rangatiratanga Charitable Trust. Rangatiratanga can be loosely interpreted as meaning “creating leaders.”

In 2017, the first student, Levi, was sponsored by the Trust. The Trust’s next sponsored student is slated to begin her schooling in 2026. Our goal is to secure enough funding to support 3 students per year ($50K/yr).