For the past decade, high profile Paralympians, Para athletes, Para coaches and countless Para organisations in the Canterbury Para sport community have enjoyed incalculable benefits from the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund.
In 2014 Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) was bequeathed $1m by Christchurch-based philanthropist Cyril Smith to further assist with the training and development of Para athletes in the Canterbury region. With this money the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund was set up – in which Para athletes in the Canterbury region can apply for funding up to three times a year.
Over the past ten years – 118 applications have been approved totaling close to $300,000 to support Para athletes, coaches and a range of Para sport organisations in everything from new equipment, travel costs and much more.
Among those to have benefited from the fund include #166 Paralympian Dame Sophie Pascoe with the 11-time Paralympic gold medallist successfully applying on three occasions for funding from the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund to help cover training expenses.
An appreciative Dame Sophie said: “The PNZ Cyril Smith Fund has been an incredible source of support throughout my swimming career, helping to ease the financial challenges of training at an elite level. The grant I received made a real difference in allowing me to focus on my goals and perform at my best. For the Canterbury region, which has faced challenging times that have impacted resources for training, this fund has been a lifeline. It has also been instrumental in empowering the wider Canterbury Para community, ensuring more athletes have the opportunity to reach their potential on the world stage.”
Paralympian #237 Gabriella ‘Gaby’ Smith – who made her Paralympic debut at Paris 2024 – is another Para swimmer who has benefited from the fund. The 18-year-old successfully applied for funding in 2022 to pay for training gear and cover training expenses all of which played a positive role in her career development on the road to reaching two finals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“It was nice to have that extra support that the funds gave me as it gave me a real sense of security about my swimming future,” she said. “The fund took away any barriers and has allowed me to perform at my best.”
Not only Para athletes, but coaches too have benefited from the fund. George Edwards has been the long-time coach to Paralympian #208 Will Stedman, guiding the Para athlete to five Paralympic medals. George successfully applied for funding to attend the Dubai 2019 Para Athletics World Championships and Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championships and admits the experiences were of huge benefit.
“The fund took a big financial load from me and allowed me to focus on coaching,” he said. “Travelling to big overseas competitions I could see close up how the other Para athletes were performing and what we (Will and I) needed to do to stay competitive.”
ParaFed Canterbury is a regular recipient of the fund, which has impacted positively on all members. Being able to “unlock” financial support has made a difference to many organisations with the Canterbury Boccia Club successfully applying for funding to help subsidise costs to travel to the national championships and Athletics Canterbury purchasing an adaptive throwing frame through the fund, which the local athletics clubs in Christchurch can access at the Ngā Puni Wai facility.
ParaFed Canterbury Shooting Club is another organisation to have accessed the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund – which has allowed them to purchase a new air rifle and assist with relocating the club from a community hall to a dedicated shooting range.
Grant Philip, formerly a club-coordinator and current member of the ParaFed Canterbury Shooting Range, said: “As our sport uses air rifles, funders are often hesitant to financially support our club. The PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund understands Shooting Para sport and is always open to considering our applications”.
ParaFed Canterbury General Manager Ken Sowden MNZM added: “Having the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund available to our community has ensured a generation of Para athletes have had access to, and benefits from, this unique fund and we can only thank Cyril Smith for his incredible forethought and donation to the Para sport community that will be there for future generations to come and ensure his legacy lives on.”
PNZ CEO Greg Warnecke added: “Para sports and Para athletes rely on the generosity of others to support programme delivery and participation at all levels, from grassroots to the Paralympic Games. The impact of contributions provided from the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund can be seen through the number of successful applicants and funding allocated, all of which would not have been possible without the late Cyril Smith and his family”.
***More on how to apply for the PNZ Cyril Smith Legacy Fund go here
