Sporting recycling project helps keep Taranaki children healthy and active Old sports gear has been given new life thanks to a Taranaki project. The Replay project, started by Manawatū’s Denise McLean in 2017, has run in Taranaki for the past 18 months. Sport Taranaki’s community partnership lead, Megan Peters, says the community scheme has benefited a number of individuals, schools and community organisations. “The sports gear has been distributed at schools, given to individuals and used at community events such as the first birthday celebration of Stratford’s Bike Park.” The...

Laura Matthews at Sport Taranaki has had two old badminton racquets and case sent down from Auckland for the Replay NZ initiative that recycles old sports gear for local kids. Badminton Racquets from the past passed on for young players to enjoy  A woman who played badminton in Waitara in the 1950s has donated her racquets, so younger badminton players can enjoy the game. Lesley Stimpson, 82, a ‘’Taranaki girl’’ who now lives in Auckland, read about Sport Taranaki’s new initiative, Replay, a community programme that collects new and used sports gear and redistributes it. The racquets had...

Family collects old sports gear for kids who don’t have it   A new community group collecting used sports gear to recycle to children who don’t have access to their own is asking for public donations.   Denise McLean started Replay in February after a discussion with her family about what they should do with sports gear they no longer needed.  After having a cleanout of their gear, she  and husband Andrew McLean and their daughters Millie McLean, 8, and Lucy McLean, 11, all sat down to talk about how they could make sure this gear went directly into kids’ hands. Out of...

WANTED: Unused tennis racquets, cricket bats, balls, hockey sticks, golf clubs, softball gloves, table tennis bats, bowling balls, saddles, rugby boots, boxing gloves … A recycling bin was wheeled into Levin library Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō this week aiming to give new life to old sports gear. Library cultural and community centre manager Neil Hirini was the first to donate – his rugby boots. It was tough to let them go, but the time was right and he was comforted knowing they would be put to good use. Ethan Pollock, who is the new community connector with Sport Manawatū,...

Children’s charity work ensures sport gear gets another life  Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School held a donation day where they supported the Replay charity, which recycles used sports equipment and gives it a second life with children who may have difficulty affording or accessing sports gear. The school collected 530 pieces of equipment or clothing, ranging from bike helmets, roller skates, moon hoppers, shoes, balls and a fencing mask. There were 61 pairs of rugby boots and 51 hockey sticks. The school’s sports leaders, including Julia Hutchinson, 12, and Joseph Steer,...

Replay is an initiative to pass on sports gear for young people, with local businesses coming on board to support the concept. “Do you have old or unused sports gear you would like to see passed on to children and young people who will put it to good use?” asks a statement from Sport Whanganui. Replay was established in 2017, by the McLean family in Palmerston North. It is a charity that helps communities redistribute good-quality used sports gear by passing it on to tamariki or rangatahi who need a helping hand to participate in their chosen sport or activity. Anyone in the community can...