Nathan Fa’avae, the man Bear Grylls called the ‘Michael Jordan’ of adventure racing, is a donor to and advocate for Top of the South Community Foundation.

“The money which my father and mother worked so hard to generate is protected; locked away, with the interest going back into the community,” Nathan says in a video which explains what it is like to give through community foundations.

“I am in such a blessed place and not to share that with the world would not feel right,” says Nathan, (50) who lives in Tasman Bay, near Nelson with his wife Jodie and their three-children.  

Adventure has been the theme in his life since developing a passion for the outdoors and adventure sport when he was a teenager.  As captain of the world’s most successful adventure racing team, his career in the sport that spanned more than two-decades, has made him the most recognisable figure in the sport, and hugely respected.

In 2023 he was honoured as an Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Adventure Racing.

In the video “What is it like to give through your local Community Foundation?” Nathan Fa'avae (from Top of the South Community Foundation) and Barbara Blake (from Wellington's Nikau Foundation), talk about why it is so fulfilling to give through their local Community Foundation

Community Foundations help local people to give well into their communities, using insight and data to help guide their giving, and robust systems to take good care of their funds.