About

What is Loose Change?

Loose Change is a high school programme dedicated to building hauora resilience in our rangatahi. Designed for secondary school students across the Te Tairāwhiti region, it uses sport and fitness as a powerful outlet to foster self-discipline, boost self-confidence, and promote the importance of both physical and mental wellbeing. We travel and deliver our programme directly to participating schools on a weekly basis. Through this approach, we aim to equip our youth with the tools they need to navigate a healthy, positive, and successful future.

The Loose Change programme has 5 main focus areas:

1. Physical Wellbeing

We promote the importance of fitness, sport, healthy eating, quality sleep, recovery, and long-term health. These foundations help students develop strong habits that support physical vitality and overall longevity.

Fitness testing at Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School, Te Araroa

2. Mental Health

We explore the impact of substance use, while emphasising the value of open communication and self-expression. Students learn to manage their relationship with social media and digital devices, engage in therapeutic activities and exercises, and understand the benefits of consistent morning and evening routines. Inspiring guest speakers further support these learning experiences.

In class session at Tolaga Bay Area School, Tolaga Bay

3. Resilience

Through the development of essential life skills, students learn coping strategies, emotional regulation, and team-building techniques. Practical willpower exercises and tailored advice help them navigate challenges and build resilience in the face of adversity.

Finishing up a Loose Change session at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Waiū o Ngāti Porou, Ruatoria

4. Empowerment

Students engage in physical fitness testing and track their progression over time. Individual mentoring supports them in setting and achieving personal goals, while a strong network of support and advocacy helps them grow with confidence and purpose.

School Prize Giving at Te Waha O Rerekohu Area School, Te Araroa

5. Community

Loose Change fosters strong peer connections, building trust and creating a safe, inclusive space where every student feels a sense of belonging. Our head coach actively collaborates with aligned kaupapa across the wider community, unlocking further opportunities for student growth and engagement.

Our head coach supporting Loose Change Students from Te Kura O Manutuke in Kapahaka

Our History

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Loose Change was founded by Kouma Samson, who moved to Gisborne from West Auckland in late 2022. While settling into a new home, town, and job with his small whānau, Kouma made a personal commitment to prioritise his own wellbeing. Despite working full-time, he dedicated himself to early morning and late evening training sessions, sharing his journey openly on social media.

With a strong background in professional rugby league and a proven fitness transformation, it wasn’t long before members of the community began reaching out for support, advice, and training guidance. Recognising the need, Kouma began offering free community fitness sessions at the local rugby field. His consistency, impact, and connection with people quickly built a positive reputation.

Soon after, he was approached by Nōna Te Ao Charitable Trust, who saw the potential in his approach and offered to collaborate—helping to expand and formalise his services with a shared focus on the wellbeing of rangatahi across the Tairāwhiti region.

In 2024, the Loose Change programme officially launched. Every week, Kouma and our Programme Coordinator Sam travelled across Tairāwhiti to work with eight different kura and over 225 students, from Te Araroa to Te Karaka. The response was overwhelmingly positive—from principals, students, and parents alike. Beyond the programme’s hauora-based goals, there were other unexpected benefits: increased school attendance, more students making representative sports teams, and rural kura appreciating having a strong, positive male role model consistently turn up for their kids.

We learned a lot in our first year and continue to evolve our delivery to ensure the programme remains effective, relevant, and deeply impactful.

Now, in 2025, we’ve begun the next stage of our journey. While we continue to operate in partnership with Nōna Te Ao, we’re also building the foundations to stand as our own entity—ready to grow and strengthen our kaupapa from 2026 and beyond.

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