Letter from the Chair

4 May

From Nikau Foundation’s 2022 Impact Report

E aku nui, e aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa.

It is my pleasure to bring you Nikau Foundation’s 2022 Impact Report. This year was particularly significant for us. We farewelled and welcomed team members, established new funds to support our region forever and placed greater focus and investment on areas that directly support our communities.

Throughout it all, the Nikau team, trustees and volunteers have absolutely shone. They bring an incredible amount of energy, passion, creativity and expertise to their respective roles. I cannot thank them enough for their amazing mahi in 2022.

In March, we welcomed Emma Lewis to the role of Executive Director. Having previously worked as Nikau’s Engagement Director, Emma is a sound strategic thinker and strong leader with extensive experience in the philanthropic sector. I have been impressed by her leadership over the last year and look forward to the next exciting chapter of Nikau with her at the helm. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of former Executive Director Alice Montague, who created a solid platform for Nikau to grow and effect positive change for our region.

Nikau is now the guardian of almost $32 million – a significant legacy that will have lasting impact for generations to come. Combined with corporate trusteeships, including the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation, this brings our total funds under management to $80 million. In perhaps our biggest achievement of 2022, Nikau Foundation distributed more than $1 million in grants. We should all be immensely proud of this. For community organisations, securing funding can be a game-changer. It can often mean blue-sky ideas are transformed into programmes, salaries can be paid or more support services can be delivered to people in need. These grants helped almost 200 organisations in practical and relevant ways.

In January, we farewelled long-serving trustee and Deputy Chair Liz Koh. Thank you Liz for your dedication, time and expertise. We are fortunate that Liz remains in the Nikau whānau on the Nikau Kāpiti Committee. We welcomed new trustee Horiana Irwin-Easthope in April. With an extensive legal background rooted in mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), Horiana brings a wealth of experience to Nikau. In May, we recognised the outstanding input of Nikau founder, former Chair and donor Kevin O’Connor by naming him as Patron – a role that reflects his long-standing commitment to Nikau and the leadership he has exercised over the years.

Having grown from a small, self-managed not-forprofit to a medium-sized institutional investor over the last few years, we took steps to position ourselves for the future by partnering with Craigs Investment Partners and Harbour Asset Management to manage our funds. These partnerships will continue to enable us to grow local generosity for the benefit of local causes.

As our communities face persistent social, economic and environmental challenges, the role that community foundations play is critical. Our long-term focus and purpose to create reliable funding avenues mean we can stand by them to deliver their services and support our communities’ needs, no matter the circumstances. As a proud Wellingtonian, it is a pleasure to be part of an organisation with sustainability at its core and a vision to support our region forever.

Thank you for your continued support of Nikau Foundation. Whether you are a donor, supporter, volunteer or partner, we recognise your commitment to create a more vibrant, resilient and healthy Greater Wellington region.

Ngā mihi nui,