The Hawkes Bay Youth Trust (“the Trust”) was established in 2015 and was the brainchild of Head Coach Craig McDougall, who had previously worked with the U-turn Trust establishing the Flaxmere Boxing Academy. 

Craig, a former New Zealand boxing champion, Hawke's Bay Person of the year, who progressed his working career from a builder to a Strength and Conditioning coach to a  firefighter, and then coordinator of the Jarod Cunningham Sports Academy, decided that his calling and passion was to work with young people and help them navigate the complexities of life.

The Trust was set up with the aim of instilling discipline and providing a structure of Olympic style boxing to teach young people (men and women) how to be fit, well-mannered and active members of our community. With a vision to “Help Young People and Their Whanau Live Lives They Value”

It is a charitable trust set up to support Hawke’s Bay youth to be the best they can be. 

Our recent move to a purpose-built facility at Mitre10 Park will provide a permanent and sustainable home for the Hastings Giants Boxing. We can now improve the quality of coaching and services to current members because of the size and space of the new facility. This will allow larger classes to train together and allow different aged groups to work alongside each other rather than on different days.

This will then permit the development of more coaches and more boxing classes, enabling growth in Olympic style amateur boxing in Hawke’s Bay. It will provide a pathway from participation to performance and excellence.