Local Heroes 2026

Cody Hawke

Cody is a 16-year-old Cashmere High School student with a huge passion for cycling and an exciting future ahead of him. After placing third in the Under 19 category at the New Zealand National Mountain Bike Championships, Cody was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Junior World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy – the pinnacle event for a junior mountain bike rider.

Cody has been part of the Christchurch Singletrack Club for around seven years and loves giving back to the cycling community, helping maintain local trails, setting up race courses and mentoring younger riders. His dedication extends well beyond racing – he even celebrated his 16th birthday by taking on a 300km ride through the heat and hills of North Canterbury!

The Coffee Culture Charitable Foundation funding will help Cody take on the world's best junior riders in Italy. We can't wait to see where his two wheels take him next!

Millie Junge

Millie is a Cashmere High School student and talented cross-country mountain bike racer who has been selected to represent New Zealand at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships for the second year in a row. After an impressive 23rd-place finish last year as the top rider from outside Europe, Millie will once again wear the silver fern in the U19 Junior category, racing in Val di Sole, Italy, this August. Her selection was achieved by meeting Cycling New Zealand's Primary Selection Criteria.

Behind the results is plenty of hard work, with Millie balancing school alongside 16–20 hours of training each week. She also gives back to the local cycling community by helping coach junior skills clinics and encouraging younger riders to chase their own big goals.

The Coffee Culture Charitable Foundation funding will help Millie get to Italy and take on the world's best once again. We're very proud to be a small part of her journey!

Hamish McCrae

Hamish is an 11-year-old Christchurch footballer with a pretty exciting opportunity ahead of him. After attending a West Ham United Camp at Prebbleton Football Club, Hamish impressed the coaches enough to be selected for their National Camp in Australia, joining talented young players from across New Zealand and Australia. From there came even bigger news – Hamish has been invited to the final stage of the pathway, an International Camp in London with West Ham United’s Youth Academy.

The opportunity will see Hamish travel to London to train with some of the best youth coaches in the game and experience the standards of an international football academy – a pretty incredible achievement for a young footballer from Christchurch.

The Coffee Culture Charitable Foundation funding will help Hamish and his family towards the costs of making the trip possible. We’re excited to be backing a local kid chasing a very big football dream!

Click here to see our previous years' winners.