Ka whangaia, ka tupu, ka puawai
That which is nurtured grows, then blossoms
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Once again, a blank canvas sits before each of us.
As both the artists and the art, many of us are beginning to form the picture of how this year will look. Whether you’re brainstorming what to paint, or returning to a work-in-progress, I trust that by this time next year, we will reflect proudly on what we managed to achieve – be it large or small.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi will continue to be front of mind for many of us in the philanthropic sector this year. If you have not yet had a chance to listen to the video interviews in our Tiriti resource that we released at the end of last year, they are a rich source of information on how funders are exploring and finding practical ways to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I want to acknowledge and thank our interviewees for generously sharing learnings and insights from their Tiriti journeys: Maria Ramsay from Toi Foundation, Jackie Flutey and Mata Cherrington from Community Trust South, Dennis Turton and Rongo Kirkwood from Trust Waikato, and Chelsea Grootveld from JR McKenzie Trust.
Our TenForTen podcast series has a new interview available. In this latest episode, we sat down with Ezekiel Raui, Head of Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation to learn more about what has defined his social impact journey so far and explore his hopes for the future. If you’re on the hunt for an inspiring listen, look no further.
Te Pūaha Talks continue this month. Registrations are still open for this week’s webinars: Haumanu – centring healing in systems change, and Creative Communications with Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi, the regional arts trust for Auckland. Next month, we will send out the schedule of talks planned for the rest of 2025.
Karinia Lee, Head of Centre | Kaihautu
Centre for Social Impact
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Philanthropic organisations are increasingly looking to how they can honour te Tiriti through partnership and genuine power-sharing.
Our Te Tiriti o Waitangi resource for funders provides an overview of te Tiriti, and video interviews with four funders sharing their Tiriti journeys with CSI Associate Kate Cherrington. Alongside links to further resources, reading, and case studies from organisations and funders across Aotearoa, this resource draws on interviews with philanthropic leaders to share a range of practical insights for Tiriti actions.
TenforTen podcast series
“A challenge to me particularly and to others in leadership roles is to not give up – to not lose hope when all seems lost.” Ezekiel Raui – Head of Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation.
In our latest TenforTen episode, we sit down with Ezekiel Raui to discuss his social impact journey, what gives him hope for the future of Aotearoa, and to learn more about how his upbringing shaped the path that led him to where he is today.
Ezekiel’s contributions to youth leadership and mental health saw him selected to attend the 2015 White House Tribal Leaders Gathering in Washington D.C. In 2017 he was one of two New Zealanders awarded the Queen's Young Leaders Award, and in 2019 he was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs Asia/Pacific List 2019. Click here to listen to the full conversation.
TenforTen is our tenth anniversary podcast series where we kōrero with community leaders, movers and shakers as they share their wisdom, perspectives on our society, their mahi, and hopes for the future. You can listen to previous episodes on Spotify here.
Ngahere wellbeing practice - refresher
"It’s about gifting something to yourself – we often forget in the cacophony of this world, in the noise of this world, to gift things to ourselves.” Tuihana Ohia – CSI Associate
In February, CSI Associate Tuihana Ohia facilitated an online workshop to refresh our wellbeing practices and encourage us to give ourselves the gift of starting the year grounded, connected, and energised. Click here to watch the full workshop.
Previous Ngahere wellbeing workshops can be found in Te Pūaha o te Ako – the CSI Knowledge Hub alongside helpful hauora resources, practices, and prompts to support and nurture our individual and collective wellbeing.
Climate Governance - support from Climate Action Aotearoa
Climate Action Aotearoa was formed by the Community Trusts of Aotearoa to lead The Funders Commitment on Climate Action. If your organisation is a funder, then you may wish to become a signatory to the commitment. As a signatory you can access free workshops on climate related topics. We know there are many shifts in the governance space and strengthening climate governance and impact reporting are priority workstreams for Climate Action Aotearoa. As many trusts are welcoming new trustees, tailored climate governance sessions are being offered by co-leads, Esther Whitehead and Arohanui West. The sessions will help equip trustees with the knowledge and tools to integrate climate considerations into governance and decision-making.
Contact Arohanui Arohanui.west@csinz.org or Esther Esther.whitehead@csinz.org to discuss your needs and book a session.
Background on mandatory reporting, climate risk, and impact measurement is available on the Climate Action website; Climate Governance in Philanthropy.
Congratulations to Arohanui who is one of 40 people from around the world selected by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance’s Ocean Leaders Fellowship 2025 programme. The fellowship, developed in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, is an annual programme designed to support and empower exceptional young professionals in their efforts to protect and restore the health of our oceans.
Learning and development opportunities Evaluators - professional development with ANZEA
Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) has several professional development sessions coming up for evaluators. These include a Kai and Kōrero session "Inclusive evaluation: working with disabled peoples" and an online workshop with Adrian Field "Designing surveys that people will trust". Details and registration links are available here.
Funders - professional development with Philanthropy New Zealand
Growing Your Giving Skills is an online programme designed for Funding Fundamentals graduates and other mid-career philanthropy professionals (2-5 years’ experience in funding roles) looking to strengthen their strategic and practical knowledge. Led by Dr Christina Howard, over 10 modules, you’ll explore the nuances of modern philanthropy, refine your funding skills, and gain insights into emerging trends.
Managing your not-for-profit's finance - Community Governance Aotearoa
Balancing the books – finance 101 is the next free Board Talk from Community Governance Aotearoa, coming up on April 11. Rose Hiha-Agnew (CGA Chief Executive) will lead a panel sharing their expertise on ‘finance 101’ for not-for-profit boards, the roles of each board member and what you need to know if you are a treasurer.
Across the Tasman
Australia’s Centre for Social Impact has a podcast series, Leading Australia’s Just Transition. The latest interview is with esteemed business leader David Gonski. It draws on David’s nearly five decades of board-level experience - from chairing major banks and multinational corporations to leading arts and educational institutions - to explore the evolving role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ‘social licence to operate’ debates.