Amanda Rutaki

"I enjoy MTB riding with our whaanau, particularly at the Whakarewarewa forest. I especially enjoy the Te Poaka, Shark vs Eagle, and the Blue Lake loop trails. 

One of the reasons for enjoying the experience is the community aspect to riding. Initially I struggled to keep up with my very light, quick child, but the purchase of an electric bike helped with this and kept me engaged.

Now with my fitness improvements I am looking at transitioning back to a pedal powered bike.

I enjoy watching the improvements of younger whaanau's riding skills and increased confidence. I also love that we can include the dogs when we ride, as they love running the trails too."

Amanda is responsible for overseeing the end-to-end Tu Manawa funding application process, the facilitation, coordination, and administration including applicant management and support, funding decisions and reporting. She also provides additional support to the play, active recreation and sport system across the Waikato region as a result of opportunities identified from Tu Manawa applications.