Every one of us is a star somewhere. The five year old learning to put their face in the water. The retiree doing laps before the grandkids wake up. The teenager who might just make an Olympic Games team one day.

Hawke’s Bay has built a five star facility to hold all of them. The last thing anyone wants is to watch it fall behind.

That facility is the Hawke’s Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust complex (HBCFCT), based at Mitre10 Sports Park in Hastings. It’s helped shape international weightlifters, swimming champions and rising athletic stars.

It also opens its doors every day to toddlers learning to swim, seniors doing aqua classes, and a stroke rehabilitation client rebuilding the ability to walk.

That mix, high performance and everyday community use under one roof, is exactly what makes it hard to replace. It’s also what makes it expensive to run.

The Trust, established by Sir Graeme Avery and Bruce Mactaggart, has grown from modest beginnings into one of the region’s most heavily used sporting assets. But recognition doesn’t pay power bills.

Looking at new ways to fund its future, HBCFCT is mounting the All Stars Sports Night as a modern twist on the traditional community fundraiser.

The All Stars Sports Night is a fundraiser built for people who’d rather wear a team jersey than a black tie.

Set for Friday 6 November at the Trust’s Hastings facility, the evening drops the usual gala format in favour of four rounds of live competition, guests going head to head against the Trust’s own “All Stars”, alongside food trucks, a live auction and an MC keeping the energy up all night.

“We didn’t want another cocktail evening,” said Graeme Buscke, HBCFCT partnership manager. “Everyone’s been to one of those. We wanted something that felt like us, and that people would actually look forward to.”

There’s a deeper strategy behind the fun, too. Each round pairs a recognised athlete with a rising local talent from the same discipline, a deliberate way of putting the Trust’s next generation in front of the people who fund it.

“These are athletes who’ve come through our programmes,” says Graeme. “Giving them the stage next to a big name isn’t just good entertainment, it shows exactly what this facility is capable of producing, and why it’s worth backing.”

Money raised goes straight to operational costs — wages, pool safety, equipment and the day to day running of a facility used by everyone from national squads to grandparents doing water aerobics.

Sponsorship packages range from a $5,000 stage naming right down to a $1,000 community partner listing, alongside in kind support such as auction items and services.

Graeme is candid that early momentum matters. “If we can get a strong chunk of tickets and partnerships locked in early, it takes the pressure off the final sprint,” he says. “And every partner brings their own network with them.”

For a Trust that turns rehab patients back into walkers and shed-based teenagers into national representatives, the ask is simple. Buy a ticket. Bring your team. If your business can back a round, a stage or the bar, get in touch with Graeme directly.

Because a five star facility only stays five star if the people who use it help keep it that way.

More All Stars Sports Night sponsorship details and tickets here.