Our vision as a community funder is for the southern region to thrive. We protect and grow the community’s fund and engage in effective and innovative grant making. For over 30 years we have provided a helping hand to hundreds of people and communities in the south and plan to continue to support generations to come.
Underpinning all that we do is our commitment to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We are committed to working in partnership with iwi, hapu, whanau and Maori communities to support their aspirations.
Our aim is to get more people participating to enhance personal and community wellbeing. We understand the unique needs of places and communities within our region and the need to collaborate and partner to achieve greater impact together.
You can expect us to be fair, thoughtful, respectful, accessible, responsible, transparent, responsive and honest.
Our four pou (pillars) are:
- Health, Wellbeing & Active Lifestyles
- Education
- Art, Heritage & Culture
- Community Development & Community Economic Development
Our Strategic Pillars
Health & Wellbeing
Working with communities to ensure people participate, are supported, empowered and cared for
Our priorities:
- Promoting people’s wellbeing through prevention and early intervention with a focus on support for:
- the early years (prenatal to 4yrs)
- parenting
- new migrants
- youth
- Supporting vulnerable people with a focus on support for:
- the early years (prenatal to 4 years)
- older persons
- people with a disability
- at-risk families
- high-needs populations
- Supporting appropriate access to services for rural communities
- Encouraging and supporting organisations to provide sustainable services through partnering, collaborating and the sharing of services presently delivered by a number of single focus organisations
Active LIfestyles
Working with communities to ensure people participate, are supported, empowered and cared for
Our priorities:
- Providing grassroots support for life-long active participation and engagement with a focus on support for:
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- the early years (0-13 years)
- older persons
- coaching and volunteering
- inactive people and those experiencing barriers to participation
- Supporting appropriate and sustainable infrastructure (people, services and facilities) with a focus on:
- partnering and collaboration
- consolidation/sharing of services
- multi-use facilities
- And, while a lesser priority, we also support elite sport with a focus on supporting the development of athletes, coaches and officials to excel and reach their potential, and sporting franchises operating within financially viable models
Education
Working with communities to ensure every person has the opportunity to achieve their potential
Our priorities:
- Supporting 0-5 year old children to have the best start with a focus on support for:
- engaging and supporting parents to be involved in their child’s learning and development
- ensuring children are well prepared to succeed by the time they start school
- providing support for identified vulnerable/at risk children
- Raising the achievement of identified underachieving year 1-8 students
- Addressing issues of inequality that present barriers to learning and participating
- Students identified by their school as being at risk of disengaging
- Second chance education
- Preparation of students for life after schooling with a focus on support for:
- life skills and financial literacy
- careers education
- effective transitions/pathways
- linkages between education and industry
Art, Heritage & Culture
Working with communities to ensure people participate, celebrate, and preserve our arts, heritage and culture
Our priorities:
- Increasing awareness of and access to active participation in artistic, cultural and heritage activities with a focus on support for:
- children and young people
- people not currently participating
- Supporting a range of local and touring artistic, cultural and heritage experiences with a focus on outreach that shares art, culture and heritage with the wider community
- Celebrating and preserving the cultural diversity of our region with a focus on support for:
- preservation and development of te reo and tikanga
- opportunities for the sharing and expression of all cultures
- Supporting emerging and established artists and arts practitioners to excel and reach their potential
- Celebrating and preserving the regions significant/unique heritage with a focus on support for:
- category 1 historic places, sites, structures or areas
- telling the South’s unique stories
Community Development
Working with communities to ensure they are connected, successful, resilient and dynamic
Our priorities:
- Alignment with local and regional development strategies and community development priorities
- Supporting communities to:
- identify their ideas, assets, capabilities, resources and opportunities – focusing on community-led development approaches, developing volunteers and community leaders
- adapt and respond to their changing demographics, environment, community services and facility needs
- welcome and respond to our region’s increasingly diverse population
- encourage community cohesion through opportunities that bring people together and provide a sense of belonging
- access relevant data and information to enable well informed community conversations
Community Economic Development
Working with communities to ensure they are connected, successful, resilient and dynamic
Our priorities:
- Alignment with local or regional development strategies and economic development priorities
- Supporting infrastructure projects that provide a platform for economic activity
- Ensuring we maximise the potential of all our region’s population
- Supporting the start-up of destinational events that bring added net economic benefit to the region
- Recognising and supporting the growth of Maori economic development and local investment opportunities
- Supporting social enterprise that contributes to one or more of our priorities