Celebrating 30 years of a movement.
A letter from Community Foundations of New Zealand. By Arron Perriam, Executive Director of Community Foundations of New Zealand.
Being the oldest generally means a couple of things are likely to be true. You’re likely to always be the guinea pig, you will always be the role model and the journey can be extremely tough – yet in the end also highly rewarding. This is the story of Nikau Foundation, our oldest and first community foundation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Today, donor-advised funds, like the endowment funds invested with community foundations, are one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy in the world. Community foundations enable a way of giving where you can be both strategic by ensuring the longevity of your giving and specific about what you want to support. It can be anything you choose, with investment returns continuing to give to your cause(s) of choice and creating social impact – forever!
While community foundations are relatively new in New Zealand, with Nikau Foundation being our first, and most of our 17 community foundations being established in the past 10 years, they are now beginning to take off with $200 million in funds under management, including having grown 33% in the past year alone, a further $400 million promised in wills for the future and having distributed over $50 million to community groups over the past five years.
These big numbers only reflect part of the story though. The real story is the journey community foundations like Nikau Foundation have taken in partnering with local community organisations throughout New Zealand to strengthen communities and build regional charitable wealth and sustainability. Being the first means Nikau Foundation has paved the way, shown leadership, taken knocks and provided a blueprint for other community foundations to follow. That’s a BIG deal and a story of transformation that now plays out across Aotearoa New Zealand.
At Community Foundations of New Zealand, we’re on a mission: Hei whakakaha i ngā hāpori o Aotearoa – strengthening the communities of New Zealand. We do this together as a collective of 17 vibrant regional community foundations, and together we congratulate the Nikau Foundation team, past and present, on 30 years of creating impact and for your commitment to strengthening communities in your region.
Arron Perriam
Executive Director, Community Foundations of New Zealand
