Recreate NZ

What Recreate NZ does

Recreate NZ is a New Zealand registered charitable trust (Charity Services CC41375, IRD 082-371-273) founded in 2002 that delivers adventure, recreation, social, education, and work-skills programmes for young people aged 10-35 with mild-to-moderate intellectual, physical, and/or sensory disabilities. The organisation operates through seven regional offices across New Zealand — Auckland (headquarters, Ellerslie), Waikato (Hamilton), Bay of Plenty (Tauranga), Hawke's Bay (launching July 2026), Wellington (Lower Hutt, launched 2022), Christchurch (Papanui, expanded 2012), and Dunedin (Term 3 2026) — delivering over 7,300 programme opportunities annually to 600+ participants through 770 programmes and 11,822 respite days to families. Programmes are facilitated in person by qualified staff and trained volunteers aged 15-40 at a 1:4 caregiver-to-participant ratio, with accessibility criteria requiring functional communication and personal-care capability.

The product portfolio is organised into five programme streams: Adventure (Youth Camps, Seeking Summits, Outdoor Adventures), Recreation (Holiday Programmes, multi-day Getaways), Social (Urban events, weekend Short Breaks), Education/Life-Skills courses for high school students and school leavers, and Moxie Work Experience (employment-readiness courses). Programmes range from half-day urban events to 6-day adventures, priced on a unit-pay-as-you-go basis from $75 (short social events) to $1,350 (9-week life-skills/Moxie courses); multi-day getaways run $750-$950 and youth camps $900-$1,100. Access is via an online registration form on recreate.org.nz followed by phone or face-to-face suitability assessment. Delivery occurs at community venues, outdoor adventure sites, and partner facilities (LOOP Youth Centre, The Kollective, Waikato Innovation Park, YMCA, First Step Outdoors, Adventure Specialties). There is no proprietary technology platform — Stripe processes donations and Mailchimp handles email — and the operating model is service-delivery rather than technology-driven.

Recreate NZ's revenue model blends individual donations (eligible for a 33.33% IRD tax credit on gifts of $5+), government disability support funding (Carer Support, Individualised Funding), direct programme fees, and grants from a tiered sponsor base. Platinum-tier sponsors include Foundation North, Sport NZ, Aktive, Suntory Oceania, and Simplicity (a van named after the latter); Gold-tier sponsors include Rata Foundation, Lottery Grants Board, IHC Foundation, Vodafone Foundation, J.R. McKenzie Trust, Four Winds Foundation, Sky City Hamilton, and Sport Bay of Plenty; Silver-tier sponsors include NZCT Trust, Trust Waikato, WEL Energy Trust, Auckland Council, and YouthTown. The organisation is governed by trustees under Charities Services oversight, led by General Manager Brent, with 11-50 staff and an extended volunteer base; no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity funding exist.

Name

Recreate NZ

Legal name

Recreate NZ (Charitable Trust)

Website

https://recreate.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recreate NZ is a New Zealand registered charitable trust, founded in 2002, delivering adventure, recreation, social, education, and work-skills programmes to 600+ young people aged 10-35 with disabilities across seven regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Youth Recreation Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Respite Care for Adults with Disabilities / Special Needs (HSABAGAI)

Keywords

• Disability recreation programmes
• Youth adventure programmes
• Life skills education
• Social inclusion programmes
• Charitable trust services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Recreate NZ relies heavily on donations from individuals and organizations. The website provides options for one-time and monthly donations via debit/credit card and bank transfer. Donations of $5 or more are eligible for a 33.33% tax credit from the IRD.
2. Government Funding (Carer Support and Individualised Funding): Payments for programs can be made using Carer Support or Individualised Funding from government disability support schemes. This represents a significant portion of revenue for families accessing services.
3. Program Fees: Families who have exhausted government funding options can pay cash for program participation. Program costs range from $75 to $1,350 depending on duration and activity type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recreate NZ delivers supervised adventure, recreation, social, education and work-skills programmes for young people aged 10-35 with disabilities across 7 regions in New Zealand. Programmes range from half-day activities to multi-day camps and are facilitated by qualified staff and trained volunteers at a 1:4 staff-to-participant ratio.

Product overview

Recreate NZ is a registered Charitable Trust offering a unified portfolio of youth disability programmes across New Zealand. The core offerings consist of four programme types—Adventure (Youth Camps, Seeking Summits, Outdoor Adventures), Recreation (Holiday Programmes, Getaways), Social (Urban events, Short Breaks), and Education/Life-Skills (including Moxie Work Experience courses)—which are delivered regionally through seven offices (Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin). Programmes range from half-day to 6-day experiences and cater to participants aged 10-35 years with mild to moderate intellectual, physical, and/or sensory disabilities. The organisation delivers over 5,500 opportunities annually across more than 600 programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,300+ opportunities delivered annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• YMCA Hawke's BayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with YMCA for adventure day activities in Hawke's Bay, including inflatable rafts, sit on top kayaks, archery and team building challenges.
• First Step OutdoorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Camp Epworth adventure programs, providing high ropes, archery, flying fox, and outdoor adventure activities.
• LOOP Youth CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristchurch office is located at the LOOP Youth Centre in Papanui, providing a vibrant welcoming space for programs.
• The KollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay of Plenty office operates from The Kollective coworking space on Seventeenth Avenue, Tauranga.
• Waikato Innovation ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaikato office is based at Waikato Innovation Park, supporting program delivery and community engagement.
• Adventure SpecialtiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Kiwanis Youth Camp providing caving, kayaking, raft building and outdoor adventure activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lifewise: Lifewise is a large Auckland-based community services organization delivering disability support, housing, and family services. It operates at greater scale across more service categories but shares Recreate NZ's community-based, not-for-profit approach to supporting people with disabilities.
• YMCA New Zealand: YMCA New Zealand operates youth programmes, camps, and community recreation nationally and is an actual programme-delivery partner of Recreate NZ (e.g., YMCA Hawke's Bay adventure activities). The shared operating model (multi-region recreation delivery with volunteers) makes it a strong comparable despite broader scope.

Emerging players

• Disabled Surfers New Zealand: Disabled Surfers NZ is a volunteer-led charity that enables people with disabilities to participate in surfing and water-based activities. It operates in a narrower activity niche than Recreate NZ but addresses the same recreational-inclusion-for-disability mission across NZ beaches.

Direct peers

• Halberg Foundation: The Halberg Foundation is a NZ charitable trust that enables physically disabled young people to participate in sport and recreation. Recreate NZ's Adventure and Recreation programmes serve a closely overlapping cohort (young people with disabilities accessing sport/recreation) via a similar charity-and-sponsor-funded model.
• Special Olympics New Zealand: Special Olympics New Zealand provides year-round sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities across the country. The youth, sport, recreation, and community-inclusion focus closely mirrors Recreate NZ's Adventure and Recreation streams.
• CCS Disability Action: CCS Disability Action is a national NZ disability support and advocacy organization delivering community inclusion, mobility, and information services. Recreate NZ operates in the same disability ecosystem with overlapping referral relationships and shared funder base (e.g., IHC Foundation, Lotto).
• Spectrum Care: Spectrum Care delivers residential, community, and vocational support to people with intellectual disabilities across the Auckland and Waikato regions. Both organizations serve the same intellectual disability community in overlapping NZ geographies with similarly person-centred support models.
• IHC New Zealand: IHC New Zealand is the largest disability support organization in New Zealand, providing services to people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Recreate NZ's disability-focused programmes for young people with intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities serve an overlapping population and mission space.
• Auckland Down Syndrome Association: ADSA supports people with Down syndrome and their families across the Auckland region with social, educational, and community programmes. Both organizations serve a substantial overlapping Auckland-based cohort of young people with intellectual disabilities.

Others

• Variety – the Children's Charity NZ: Variety NZ is a national children's charity funding disability and illness-related equipment and experiences for Kiwi kids. While mission-adjacent rather than directly competitive, it competes for the same philanthropic donor pool and sponsorship tier (e.g., Lottery Grants Board) as Recreate NZ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbKFJn7awglzlP5BCvRLuuw
• Facebookfacebook.com/recreatenztrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/recreate_nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recreate-nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recreate NZ