R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust

The R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust provides life-changing experiences for Northland youth. Our charitable trust operates a gaff-rigged tops'l schooner in the Bay of Islands for the purposes of youth development. We are dedicated to delivering learning opportunities in a fun, adventurous, and non-threatening environment. Our programme is built around whanaungatanga and self identity. Respect for self and others is paramount in our philosophy of nurturing positive citizens in all of our communities. Ultimately, our work is about empowering Northland youth to live rewarding lives. We run activity-based device-free 7-day youth voyages between May-December for young people aged 14-18. This experience can be transformational for those young people who participate, creating enduring change in attitude and confidence to tackle life head-on. In the summer we offer tourism activities, including day sails and sunset sails in the Bay of Islands. Any surplus from our commercial activities supports our youth programme.