Don Te Maipi is a volunteer who goes above and beyond the call of duty. Photo / Supplied
Don Te Maipi is a volunteer who goes above and beyond the call of duty. Photo / Supplied
Don Te Maipi has dedicated thousands of hours of his free time to help people of all ages stay active.
The Bay of Plenty man works as a police officer protecting his community, but his positive impact on the small eastern Bay town of Te Teko he is proud to be a part of goes beyond his profession.
Te Maipi is a volunteer coach and one of many people throughout the region putting in hours of their own time, actively encouraging participation in sport.
June 20 marked the beginning of National Volunteer Week which honours the more than one million people who volunteer for New Zealand organisations, contributing $4 billion to the economy and millions of volunteer hours each year.
Sport New Zealand's Value of Sport report from 2017 showed 35 per cent of volunteers stated their reason for volunteering was to contribute to their community.
To celebrate volunteers and the significant contribution they make to sport and recreation in the Bay of Plenty, Sport Bay of Plenty will highlight some of the many volunteers throughout Tauranga, Rotorua and eastern Bay of Plenty who give their time to help keep people active.
Don Te Maipi coaching Te Teko Rugby Club's junior rugby players. Photo / Supplied
National Volunteer Week ends on June 26, but Sport Bay of Plenty will continue to share the region's volunteer stories for the next six months in the lead-up to the annual Bay of Plenty Sports Awards in November.
When Te Maipi isn't working as the local police officer in Te Teko, he can be found at the Te Teko Rugby Club, coaching the club's senior A team or his JAB rugby team.
He's also the coach of the Rangitaiki Tai Mitchell team and has joined forces with other rugby players and enthusiasts to teach 12 and 13-year-olds correct scrum techniques.
He said all together he spends about 12 hours a week of his own time coaching - but that doesn't include any of the time he puts into planning, attending meetings and other responsibilities that come with being a coach.
His tireless efforts go beyond coaching, however, as he also marks rugby fields for games and has given his time to support netball events.
Being born and raised in Te Teko, Te Maipi said his volunteering was prompted by following his own children playing rugby through the age groups and wanting to support the community.
He has been involved with Te Teko Rugby Club since he was five and has played for the club for 29 years.
His father coached him through the age grades and, when his own children were old enough, they played too, which was when Te Maipi followed in his father's footsteps and started coaching JAB.
Eight years later and with only one son left playing his final year of junior rugby, Te Maipi said this year would likely be his last.
He is now encouraging others to get involved and help keep the community active.
"My advice to you would be to get out there," he said.
"Get out of your comfort zone, stop being that couch coach. Be that person that's there guiding your son, guiding your moko, guiding your daughter."
He said there were a lot of benefits to being a volunteer and he would love to see more people getting involved.
"Some people think it's a bit of a chore. Some people like myself, we just do it because we want to be here.
"Without people who give up their own free time to come down, coach children, put up flags, put up pads, without these people, we wouldn't have junior sport."
Sport Bay of Plenty chief executive Heidi Lichtwark said people like Te Maipi were valuable members of the Bay of Plenty community.
She said Sport Bay of Plenty was a not-for-profit organisation that aimed to get more people in the community more active, more often, and the work that volunteers do to support sport and recreation aligns with the organisation's goals.
"Thank you to all of our volunteers, you are all making a positive impact on our community and we appreciate all you do."
