THE PURSUIT OF STOKE ADVENTURE GRANT
We've got $2,000 NZD to put behind one or two adventures this summer or winter.
What kind of adventure? A big traverse... a new climbing line... or maybe a bikepacking mission... or a paddle somewhere ridiculous. A link-up involving running shoes, pack rafts, bikes, skis — whatever.
What are you getting after?
Propose new ideas, creative adventures, and/or exciting lines. We'll prioritise these over things like organised events and race entries.
Got something planned? Tell us about it.
Applications close 10pm, 8th November 2026. New Zealand Time.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
In early 2025, I came up with a slightly ridiculous idea: complete all eleven of New Zealand's Great Walks in eleven days.
This wasn't an organised event, and there wasn't an existing "way" of doing it, which meant I had to wing it, learn about how to pull it off, and improvise. However, there was some really cool history and established culture around the challenge... Further, a new Great Walk had just been added, leaving the first-ever "11 in 11" title up for grabs. Shoutouts to fellow Great Walkers Mal Law, Ryan Thompson, Andrew Robinson, Romain Groleau, Ben Gatting (and maybe others?). The idea turned into a massive logistical exercise involving around 550km of running, a 150km paddle, travel from one end of the country to the other, and an incredible crew of people helping me pull it all together for no reason other than the stoke. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I was lucky enough to have a few brands get behind the adventure and support me in small but really valuable ways (thanks so much to Tailwind Mark and to GoNative for helping to fuel the journey)... But I also discovered something:
When your adventure isn't really a “thing”, it can be surprisingly hard to get support for it.
I wasn't entering an established race. There wasn't an event organiser, a traditional sponsorship package or an obvious way to explain what a brand was buying into. I had essentially made something up and decided to see if I could do it. And while plenty of people thought the idea was cool, financial support was much harder to find. That experience stuck with me. New Zealand is full of people coming up with creative, ambitious and occasionally ridiculous things to do outside. But we're also a small country, without an endless supply of outdoor brands with big sponsorship budgets.
Why this year? Why 2026?
The timing comes from something else. I had another big summer of adventures planned. Then I ruptured my ACL and MCL (at the climbing gym...). So instead of spending this summer getting after my own adventures, I'm going to be spending a pretty decent chunk of it rehabbing a knee. The money I would have spent on some of those adventures is still there.
So… I’m using it to support others in their own pursuit of stoke.
We're deliberately keeping this pretty open.
Run... or ride... or climb... or paddle. Swim.. or ski... or sail. Hike, tramp, traverse, trek. Combine a few.
Cross something, Climb something, Circumnavigate something. Connect a collection of completely arbitrary points on a map. Try a route nobody seems to have thought of. Take something you've done before and find a completely different way of doing it. Your adventure can happen here in New Zealand or somewhere else entirely.
It can take an afternoon, a day, a week, or longer. Just make sure to do your best to share the stoke and inspire others along the way.
You can be an established athlete who's been doing this stuff for years or someone relatively new to adventure. Or someone in between.
We're interested in the idea, not your CV.
What we're not looking to fund is entry into an organised race or event or your ski holiday (we love those too... but that's for another time!). We want something that inspires you, and something that will inspire others. Beyond that, surprise us.
WHAT'S ON OFFER?
There's up to $2,000 NZD available in this first round of the Pursuit of Stoke Adventure Grant. If we all have fun, we'll be doing this again next year.
We're looking to put those funds behind one or two adventures taking place during the 2026/27 summer or 2027 winter.
There's no set amount per adventure and we don't necessarily need to split the funding evenly. Maybe you need help getting yourself and your gear somewhere. Maybe there's a piece of equipment that'll help you pull of something audacious. Maybe it's accommodation, food, logistics or some specialist support.
Maybe there's just one thing standing between a great idea and actually giving it a crack.
READY TO GET AFTER IT?
Applications are open now and close at 10:00pm New Zealand time on Sunday, 8th November 2026.
We'll get the Adventure Grant Panel together, go through the applications and decide what we want to get behind.
Selected adventurer(s) will be notified and have access to their agreed funding by 4th December 2026.
Everyday people. Epic adventures.