02/06/2026
We are thrilled to see our founder, Gary Diprose, honoured as a member of the NZ Order of Merit in this year's King's Birthday Honours.
Gary is a pillar of our community, and his work over the past 24 years has brought us to where we are today.
Please join us in congratulating him for these years of dedication to our young people and our wider community.
Well done, Gary - you're a legend!
The official spiel:
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to youth.
Mr Gary Diprose established the Springboard charitable trust in 2002 to support vulnerable young people in the Warkworth area.
In the early days of Springboard, Mr Diprose offered an alternative education programme for young people who had been excluded from mainstream school due to behavioural issues. He worked with local Police youth aid to expand the organisation to provide a wraparound support model for vulnerable children and their families. He has built Springboard up to purchase premises with an adjoining campground, with a full-time staff of around 40 and a fleet of vehicles supporting around 450 young people, having supported thousands over the years. The organisation now supports alternative education, a youth offenders programme, driver training, social worker support, mentoring and work placement programmes, and a programme working with young people who have left school and are not engaged in further education or work. Mr Diprose has directed Springboard to a high success rate of transforming the lives of young people affected by abuse, drug and alcohol addiction and dysfunctional family situations. As a result of Springboard’s work, the youth crime and re-offending rates in the Warkworth and Wellsford areas are at an all-time low. Springboard was recognised with AMP Capital People's Choice Award in 2017.
