Our Purpose
To help the tamariki of Aotearoa to thrive by developing strong foundations of health to last them a lifetime.
"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." Mahatma Gandhi
Our Founder
For over 25 years, founder of the Young and Healthy Charitable Trust, Kim Harvey has poured her energy, passion and knowledge into encouraging people, big and small, to nurture and improve their health and wellbeing as well as they possibly can by taking small steps, every single day.
With research showing that the first 10 years of life are critical to ensure children develop a love of being healthy and active, Kim started her journey by developing a home-based activity program for children and their families to help them find their way to create sustainable healthy habits. With funding from Sport Auckland and teamed with a DHB dietician, she visited families in their homes and often brought her families together to have fun being active together in a supportive environment. This was so effective it was rolled out nationwide under the Green Prescription “Active Families” banner.
Kim returned to her passion for children’s wellbeing in later years, when she was introduced to the NSW Ministry of Health who had seen the success of the engaging activity challenges Kim had developed for workplaces and a collaboration was born to develop a program for school children.
With support of NSW Rugby League who supplied NRL players as the virtual coaches, the Virtual Adventure pilot program was launched and subsequently evaluated by the University of Sydney who found the program had a positive impact on the physical activity of students, and importantly doing more physical activities, becoming fit and feeling healthier were identified by the students themselves as some of the things they liked the best about the program. Teachers also reported that the program was a great opportunity to motivate students to become more physically active and also noted improved attendance and that the event facilitated positive social behaviours by promoting teamwork and encouraging student relationships.
Following the success of the pilot, In 2019 Kim established the Young and Healthy Charitable Trust and thanks to the support of our partners and Sport New Zealand funding, ongoing feedback from teachers, students, parents and our Advisory Board, we continue to evolve the program and deliver it at no cost to schools across Aotearoa. To date over 170,000 kiwi kids have taken part in our school program to cultivate habits that lay the groundwork for a lifetime of health and vitality.
Our Advisory Board
Sarah Ryan is a Professional Learning Partner at Sport Waikato under the Healthy Active Learning umbrella through Sport NZ. After 10 years of secondary teaching and a dean in the Horowhenua, Sarah has made the move back to the Waikato with her family. Sarah brings passion and enthusiasm for physical education and has a keen interest in the holistic nature of the subject. Sarah has a proven track record in whole school approaches to wellbeing and in her current role is delivering professional development to primary and intermediate teachers around the delivery of quality physical education.
Tanya Nielsen brings over 20 years of experience in education, community engagement, and student wellbeing. Having dedicated two decades to Makauri School as a parent, teacher aide, and teacher, she has made a lasting impact on countless students, fostering a supportive and enriching learning environment. During that time she has participated in the Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure integrating it into all aspects of the curriculum, bringing the learning to life. This combined with her deep understanding of student development, her hands-on classroom experience, and her passion for children’s wellbeing make her a valuable voice on the Young and Healthy Trust Advisory Board.
Our Virtual Coaches
We are so grateful to have our inspiring ASICS Ambassadors Ardie Savea, Kane Williamson and Ameliaranne Ekenasio as our virtual coaches, "leading" classes through the Zespri Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure.
They provide support and encouragement and whenever possible we visit participating schools so tamariki can meet our sporting superstars in person.
Follow us and never miss a thing!
The Zespri Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure uses a unique digital platform to engage tamariki in a fun way, inspiring and encouraging them to make healthy choices.
Quick Links