$50,000 in sports grants awarded as New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge concludes for 2018

Former All Black Cory Jane has helped give out some of $50,000 in sports grants awarded to schools today to mark the end of the six-week New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge.

The Challenge was supported by AIA and Sovereign.

Pegasus Bay School near Christchurch will receive a $10,000 sports grant. Another four schools around New Zealand – Miramar North School, Beachlands School, Hingaia Peninsula School, and Chelsea Primary School − will each receive $5000 in grants; another 20 schools will receive $1000 grants.

The Principal of Pegasus Bay School, Roger Hornblow, says their $10,000 grant will help their students maintain their activity levels beyond the end of the Healthiest Schools Challenge. 

“We plan to spend the sports grant on outside sports equipment for the Junior Syndicate as they were the ones who took part in the Challenge.  We have had a ‘wish list’ for this area for some time now and it is wonderful to finally be able to purchase the equipment.

“We are blown away to have won a $10,000 sports grant from AIA and Sovereign - thank you so much!  Our tamariki were thrilled to take part in the Challenge, and really enjoyed seeing how many steps they'd done each day - they actually got quite competitive about it,” says Roger Hornblow.

Cory Jane says a highlight for him was seeing the excitement created by the Challenge.

“Being a father of four, and a former professional athlete, I know how important it is for children to think about health and wellness from an early age, and what a great advantage in life good health and wellness will give you.”

Nick Stanhope, Chief Executive Officer AIA New Zealand, helped present Hingaia Peninsula School’s $5000 grant this morning. 

Mr Stanhope says that while the Challenge is meant to be fun, it is also hoped that it will be of significant benefit to the participants’ lives. 

“Research shows that healthy habits developed before a child turns 10 are far more likely to last a lifetime.”

“AIA and Sovereign have a shared vision of making New Zealand one of the healthiest and best-protected nations in the world.

“Therefore the Healthiest Schools Challenge is a perfect fit for the two companies – which are currently joining together − to be supporting. The Challenge encourages children to think about health and wellness in ways that fit with their preferences, abilities, and lives; we hope that the lessons children have learnt during the Challenge will stay with them the rest of their lives” Nick Stanhope says.   

A total of 55,000 children took part in the Challenge, from more than 500 schools around the country. Many were joined by friends and family members who took part in the Supporters’ Challenge.

During the Challenge, participants were given fun tasks and simple tips on how to build healthy habits into their daily lives, as well as family routines, and classrooms.

Topics included how to fit more activity into each day, healthy eating, limiting screen time, and sun safety.

Children received tips as their customised avatars progressed through a virtual tour of some of the world’s greatest sights, accompanied by digital versions of Cory Jane and fellow Challenge Ambassador and former Black Stick Gemma McCaw.

The Challenge finished last Friday, November 23.

The full list of the schools that will receive sports grants is on the New Zealand’s Healthiest Schools Challenge blog, which can be found at https://nzhealthiestschools.blog/schools/.

For images from Cory Jane and Nick Stanhope’s visit today to Hingaia Peninsula School, or for interviews with either, please contact Jay Harkness, Senior Communications Adviser, on 027 836 2533, or at jay.harkness@aia.com.  

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About AIA New Zealand / Sovereign: 

In New Zealand AIA and Sovereign together employ almost 900 people. Since AIA arrived in New Zealand in 1981, it has consistently provided the market with innovative personal and business insurance products that suit the Kiwi way of life. In July 2018, the AIA Group acquired Sovereign, becoming the largest life insurer in New Zealand. AIA and Sovereign offer a complete range of risk management products that focus on the needs of customers. The companies are both based in Auckland, with regional offices in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Both companies are members of the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme and the Health Funds Association of New Zealand. AIA has an insurer financial strength rating from Standard and Poor’s of AA-. Sovereign has a rating of A+, from AM Best.

About AIA Group

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and a representative office in Myanmar.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$221 billion as of 30 June 2018.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of 32 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).