Abbe Banks

After recently returning home to the Waikato following a time in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, I bring with me a strong sense of connection to people, place, and community. I now live on a farm with my husband and our young whaanau, where life is centred around the land and the simple joy of being together.

I love getting out and about with my tamariki, staying active as a whaanau and making the most of our surroundings. Whether it’s through play, everyday moments, or time spent outdoors, I am passionate about helping my tamariki grow up connected to their whakapapa and the world around them.

Abbe supports the delivery of Sport Waikato’s regional spaces and places work programme. Her role focuses on coordinating key projects that strengthen the planning, development and funding of sport and active recreation infrastructure across the Waikato region. This includes progressing regional planning frameworks, coordinating infrastructure data collection, supporting the development of funding and investment pathways, and enabling stronger collaboration between territorial authorities, regional partners and sector stakeholders.

Abbe's role is project-based and designed to accelerate priority infrastructure initiatives identified through the Waikato Regional Active Spaces Plan (WRASP) and the organisation’s Spaces & Places work programme.