We are proud to be a Partner of Spirit of Adventure Trust (SOAT), together we are giving the next generation confidence to reach their full potential through life lessons learned at sea.
For over 50 years the Spirit of Adventure Trust has taken tens of thousands of young New Zealanders on voyages of personal discovery aboard the tall ship, Spirit of New Zealand.
This iconic organisation provides a unique environment for the next generation of New Zealanders to learn essential life skills, resilience, teamwork, self-leadership and confidence.
From June 2024 to July 2025, statistics from Spirit of Adventure Trust tell a powerful story.
Each number representing young people that step aboard the tall ship and come away with confidence to reach their full potential through life lessons learned at sea.
314,880 contact hours at sea
1,511 young people onboard
58 kids on the Parent & Child voyage
45 voyages
25 young people on the Inspiration voyage (living with disability)
Opportunities for young people to get onboard Spirit of New Zealand.
We believe this life changing experience should be available to all and we want to support as many young people as possible to have this experience for themselves so, every year, we remove a major barrier to entry by funding ten scholarships for the 10 Day Development Voyage.
A 10 Day Development Voyage is an amazing way to make lifelong friends from communities from across Aotearoa New Zealand whilst empowering young people with skills that lead to better decisions well beyond the ocean.
Scholarship Voyage #946 June/July 2026
We would like to extend a big congratulations to our two scholarship recipients who will be joining the Spirit of Adventure for Voyage #946 in June/July 2026.
Spirit partners like Aon can help you get onboard for a lifechanging adventure.
Aon is part of a whanau of Spirit supporters who believe in the power of the Spirit. We collectively provide financial assistance to help as many young people as possible to get onboard. Applications for voyage contributions open every few months. Another Aon scholarship for two young people to experience a 10 Day Development Voyage will also open late 2026.
You can gift a scholarship: Our priority is to remove financial barriers for as many young people as possible, providing them with an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. If you’re in a position contribute by way of funding a scholarship, learn more about how to gift a scholarship here.
Building partnerships within partnerships.
We have helped unite the Spirit of Adventure Trust with Sustainable Coastlines to create a powerful collaboration that combines the Spirit’s transformative youth development voyages with Sustainable Coastlines’ expertise in environmental education, equipping the next generation with the knowledge and practical tools they need to make informed decisions that help preserve New Zealand’s coastlines. This partnership inspires young people to become stewards of Aotearoa’s beaches and waterways, so they can drive positive change in their communities to reduce plastic waste for generations to come.