Sepak takraw is a Southeast Asian sport using feet, knees, chest, and head to kick a rattan ball over a net — combining volleyball, football, and acrobatics. It is culturally significant to communities from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other parts of Southeast Asia. As New Zealand's Southeast Asian population grows, so does interest in sepak takraw. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Sepak Takraw NZ is the national governing body:
- National competition and representative events
- World Sepak Takraw Federation membership through Oceania
- Club development
- Junior and women's development
Contact Sepak Takraw NZ for national programme access.
Sport NZ funds multicultural and community sport:
- Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa: Community sport participation — includes ethnic community sport
- Equity focus: Sport for underserved communities including Southeast Asian communities
- RSTs: Community multicultural sport development
Ministry for Ethnic Communities is a primary funder for cultural sport:
- Community grants for ethnic community activities including sport
- Cultural expression through sport
- Social cohesion through cultural sport activity
This is one of the strongest funding pathways for sepak takraw in NZ — the sport is culturally significant and not served by mainstream sport funding.
RSTs fund multicultural sport including sepak takraw:
- Aktive Auckland: Auckland's diverse Southeast Asian community — largest market
- Sport Waikato: Hamilton multicultural sport
- Sport Wellington: Wellington Southeast Asian communities
- Sport Canterbury: Christchurch multicultural sport
Gaming trusts fund cultural sport clubs:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community organisations including multicultural sport
- Grassroots Trust: Community sport and recreation
- Pub Charity: Equipment and community sport grants
- Lion Foundation: Community sport
Gaming trust sepak takraw applications:
- Rattan balls ($15–$40 each — multiple needed)
- Net and posts for courts
- Uniforms and protective gear
- Court equipment and markings
- Competition costs
New Zealand has a significant Filipino community for whom sepak takraw (known locally as "sipa") is culturally familiar:
- Filipino community organisations: Sport and cultural activity support
- Churches and community associations: Community sport backing
Filipino community networks in Auckland are a strong base for sepak takraw development.
Student clubs in tertiary institutions:
- Student associations: Club grants for cultural sport
- Tertiary sport: Facility access and club support
- AUT, University of Auckland: Large Southeast Asian student populations
Sepak takraw competition formats:
- Regu: Three-player team
- Doubles Regu: Two-player team
- Circle Regu: Standing circle formation
- Featurette (Hoop): Acrobatic event
National championships and Pacific Games representation through Sepak Takraw NZ.
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Cultural community: Southeast Asian community membership and leadership
- Participant numbers: Players by ethnicity, age, and gender
- Equipment: Specific rattan balls, nets, and equipment needs
- Competition: National championship participation and representative events
- Youth engagement: Junior development and schools outreach
- Governance: Affiliation to Sepak Takraw NZ
- Cultural value: Sport as connection to Southeast Asian heritage and identity
Tahua's grants management platform helps sepak takraw clubs manage grant applications across Sport NZ, RSTs, Ministry for Ethnic Communities, gaming trusts, and community foundations, tracking cultural participation and community outcomes.