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2011 Annual Report & 2012 Calendar

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:44:51 +1300

The 2011 Tindall Foundation Annual Report is now published and available to download here. Again in a calendar format, it includes 12 stories about organisations that received Tindall Foundation donations last year. The main themes in this year's report are the Christchurch earthquake and planting, early childhood and youth initiatives.

We have a limited number of spare calendars available if you would like to be sent a copy. Please contact us or email zarleen.blakeley@tindall.org.nz to request copies.

Christchurch-based Project Manager

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:15:11 +1200

The Tindall Foundation and Todd Foundation have jointly contracted Bede Martin as a Christchurch-based Project Manager to assist with their contributions to earthquake recovery in Christchurch. Along with helping the Todd Foundation with its dedicated Earthquake Fund, Bede will work with The Tindall Foundation on:

Information for assessment of earthquake-related applications
Identifying suitable initiatives/developments for our support
Liaison with other funders
Liaison with Funding Managers
Liaison with key contacts and supported initiatives

Bede comes from a background of community development in Christchurch, including senior positions at Community Energy Action, Open Home Foundation and Community Law Canterbury.

The Tindall Foundation has committed $5 million towards the recovery process in Christchurch over the next few years. Bede will help us identify the best use of these resources.

For other Christchurch news stories, please go to the News archive page.

Living Legends

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:05:14 +1200

Living Legends, a community conservation initiative uniting rugby and conservation, will run 17 native tree planting projects throughout New Zealand during Rugby World Cup 2011. Each project is managed in partnership with New Zealand provincial rugby unions and will be dedicated to a regional 'Rugby Legend' selected by the unions.

"Living Legends is a fantastic opportunity for New Zealanders and visitors to contribute to enhancing New Zealand's environment, and leave a lasting treasure in some of our most iconic natural areas," says Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson. "We want to see 5,000 trees planted at each of the 17 sites this year, with plans to increase that to 10,000 each site by the end of the project in 2015."

The Rugby Legends are:

Northland – Richie Guy

North Harbour – Wayne Shelford

Auckland – Bryan Williams

Waikato – Duane Monkley

Bay of Plenty – Hika Reid

King Country – Sir Colin Meads

Taranaki/Wanganui – Ian Eliason

Hawke’s Bay – Ian MacRae

Manawatu – Sam Strahan

Horowhenua/Kapiti – Christian Cullen

Wellington/Wairarapa – Sir Brian Lochore

Tasman – Todd Blackadder

Buller/West Coast – John Sturgeon

Canterbury – Tane Norton

Mid Canterbury/South Canterbury – Jock Ross

North Otago/Otago – Kees Meeuws

Southland – Kevin Laidlaw

These Rugby Legends were selected for their significant contribution to New Zealand rugby, either as a player or administrator for their region.

Living Legends is a venture of environmental charity Project Crimson, with funding from The Tindall Foundation to kickstart the project. You can find all of the information about their events at www.livinglegends.co.nz and take a look at their video.

Solar Promise

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:20:40 +1200

'The Solar Promise' nationwide campaign is encouraging New Zealand councils to consider solar energy options, as their communities face rising electricity costs and continuing oil depletion.

Nelson City Council, Nelson Environment Centre and SolarCity launched The Solar Promise in July, calling for regional councils, as well as central government, individuals and businesses, to do what they can to make solar energy more affordable.

Nelson City Council has resolved to waive solar resource consents to help reduce the cost barriers. "The Solar Saver Scheme has been a huge success for Nelson," says Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio. "In the scheme's first year, Nelson families put more solar systems on their roofs than the whole of Auckland City, immediately getting up to one week's free power every month."

Nelson City Council's pledge to The Solar Promise is "to continue to waive resource consent fees for solar installation, retain the Solar Saver Scheme, and encourage all councils to consider a number of key policies in their upcoming Long Term Plan".

Other Mayors - from Hastings, Wellington, Marlborough, Tasman, Dunedin, Invercargill and Whanganui - have also pledged their support to The Solar Promise.

The Tindall Foundation has helped fund research around wider adoption of solar energy programmes and would like to encourage all councils to support implementation.

For more information about The Solar Promise, or to make a promise, go to www.solarpromise.org.nz

Funder collaboration in Christchurch

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:47:19 +1200

The Tindall Foundation is looking at ways to work with other funders in response to the Christchurch earthquakes. This includes attendance at the recent Funders' Forum in Christchurch, and plans to contract a Christchurch-based project manager in partnership with the Todd Foundation. The Tindall Foundation has made a substantial commitment to short, medium and long-term earthquake related needs over the next 3-5 years. We are distributing funds to agencies helping those affected by the Christchurch earthquakes, particularly the carers.

Christchurch earthquake response

Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +1200

The Tindall Foundation is taking a considered response to the Christchurch earthquake on February 22, after wide consultation about the best ways to help. Although our primary focus will be on medium and longer term support for the people of Christchurch, The Tindall Foundation is already funding some urgent winter goods and has provided immediate discretionary donations to its front-line social service partners. Over the next 3-5 years the Foundation will look to help social services agencies and selected initiatives to rebuild lives and communities.

Toolkit for Safer Schools

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:08:19 +1300

Over 100 schools in Christchurch are using an innovative new toolkit designed to help staff recognise signs of family violence and bullying.

The 'Toolkit for Safer Children – Schools and Communities', launched by Christchurch Methodist Mission in August, is aimed at staff working with children in early childhood centres and schools. The toolkit was recently distributed to city-wide Christchurch schools.

Methodist Mission Aotearoa funded the development of the toolkit with their funding allocation as a Tindall Foundation Funding Manager.

Ninon Kirchner, a Christchurch Methodist Mission advocate for children and young people experiencing family violence, says "Schools found it to be a great resource when the earthquake hit, as they were able to utilise the agencies listed in the toolkit to get help and support."

Packed full of information and resources, the toolkit gives practical advice and step-by-step guidance to help those working with children and young people.

It includes information on the following:

Policy and legislation to help schools create or update health and safety policies.
Information and guidelines about responding to child abuse - how to identify and respond to child abuse; the process around child, youth and family notifications; and information on the effects of family violence and childhood trauma.
Age-appropriate sexual play and behaviour in children aged 0-12 years.
Statistics and information from the 'It’s Not OK' Campaign, the Family Violence Clearinghouse and 'What’s Up' children’s helpline.
Training opportunities for teachers and school staff, provided by both statutory agencies and non-government organisations.
Information on legal and curriculum requirements and tips for parents around bullying.

The toolkit also includes teaching materials and resources for students, parents, teachers and schools around the topic of family violence and child abuse. All materials are aligned with the NZ curriculum and can therefore be used as part of official curriculum planning.

Margaret Coleman, Principal at Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Christchurch, says the toolkit is a "godsend" for school principals. "It provides vital information for both experienced and inexperienced classroom teachers who have to make decisions based on either disclosures or their own observations. I think it is a brilliant resource and a copy should be in every New Zealand school."

To view The 'Toolkit for Safer Children – Schools and Communities' visit http://www.mmsi.org.nz/images/stories/toolkit.pdf

You can also order a hard copy on the Christchurch Methodist Mission's website.

De Paul House hosts discussion on debt

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:56:08 +1300

De Paul House, in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore, is a provider of emergency housing which offers not only shelter, food, and clothing to families, but also helps them to up-skill so that they can live independently in the community.

Acknowledging that the issue of debt is a real concern for so many Kiwis, De Paul House recently hosted a morning tea and panel discussion on the topic of “the new phenomenon of easy debt and its impact on today’s society”.

Three professionals who discussed the issue included: Mary Holm, NZ Herald columnist and senior lecturer in financial literacy at the University of Auckland; Nettie Cullen, a psychologist with experience in public mental health, educational institutes, NGOs and private practice; and Rob Collins, General Manager of Credit Union Auckland - a membership organisation providing a co-operative savings facility to form a loan fund.

The panel all agreed that there is a great need to educate people from an early age that saving is the way forward.

Mary Holm spoke about the issues students face due to debt, including the increase in debt for students aged 16-18. In her financial literacy course, she teaches students how to budget and manage their income, and what to do if they get in trouble.

Nettie Cullen discussed how ‘easy money’ and credit can lead to overwhelming debt for many individuals. She spoke of the underlying emotional issues that need to be addressed through communication and support.

Rob Collins also highlighted how debt is crippling individuals and families. He reported statistics show that every adult and child in New Zealand has a debt of $36,000. Rob believes that we have created a ‘bad debt’ society because of easy access to so-called ‘interest free’ packages. He said that often people don’t realise until it is too late, and have to face high interest payments and hidden fees.

The Tindall Foundation has given De Paul House a 3-year donation to implement an education enhancement programme for Pacific families.

Tindall Foundation Visits Day

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:05:39 +1300

The Tindall Foundation staff and trustees recently visited two organisations – The Pacific Peoples Advancement Trust and Christians Against Poverty – to learn more about the innovative approaches they have adopted to support their community.

The Pacific Peoples Advancement Trust in Manukau is an umbrella organisation working to increase the skills and employment prospects of Pacific people. The leadership and commitment of the whole team was inspiring.

Three organisations are working under the umbrella to improve the long-term employment prospects for the Pacific community: The Village Trust, the Pacific Business Trust and the Pasifika Education Trust. They have seen some outstanding results in the last six months, educating people and helping them into jobs.

Ex-All Black Michael Jones and The Village Trust are running a sports academy for 16 to 24-year-olds. Many of these young people left school with no qualifications. Through sports, tutors are preparing them for higher education, employment and, in some cases, providing a pathway to a career in sport. 44 students will graduate in November, and it is hoped the entire class will either enter formal education or get jobs.

Pasifika Education Centre is running computing and English language courses for Pacific Island adults. These foundation courses prepare people for other education, training and employment opportunities. 95 people graduated in the first intake.

The Pacific Business Trust offers business development services, coaching and mentoring to Pacific people. It runs courses for those who want to achieve formal qualifications, find work and explore self-employment options. In the past two years, the Trust has supported 136 start-up businesses and helped to get 326 Pacific people into employment. Currently over 100 people take part in formal training courses. With funds from The Tindall Foundation, the Trust has recently opened a purpose-built training centre and computer lab with 26 work stations.

In the afternoon, we visited Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which is helping those who have been pushed into financial crisis by the economic recession.

CAP is turning people's lives around so they become debt-free. Through its in-depth debt counselling service, the organisation offers programmes, services and personalised support. The team demonstrated how CAP Account works like a bank account for people to manage their money. CAP pays bills on their clients' behalf and encourages saving.

Visiting the Pasifika Education Centre

Methodist Mission community pulls together after earthquake

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The Methodist Mission in Christchurch was badly affected by the September earthquake. The main offices have been closed and the church attached to the Mission will need to be rebuilt. The organisation's food bank and training facility were also severely damaged in the quake.

Teams of staff and volunteers from the Mission have been hugely involved in caring for people throughout the crisis.

Mary Richardson, Executive Director of Christchurch Methodist Mission, says the community has pulled together to support each other. She has seen an overwhelming generosity of spirit among staff, even those who have lost their own homes.

Early in the morning after the earthquake struck, un-rostered Age Care staff, accompanied by husbands, partners, sons and daughters, spontaneously arrived at the Mission. They joined rostered staff, rolled up their sleeves and got on with cleaning up and helping residents cope with the devastation.

"With power out and elevators down, meals needed to be delivered around the buildings. This meant cooking on barbecues and ferrying food trays up four flights of stairs," explained Mary Richardson. "For five days there was no water and bottled water had to be found and brought in. Night staff have had to cope with nights of aftershocks. The Mission just wouldn't have managed without the outstanding commitment of its staff."

"Our community services teams, whose premises were destroyed, are camping out in other buildings while we look for more permanent premises. Staff reconfigured their whole service to respond to this crisis. They are providing services at crisis centres, at the council, and in people's homes."

Methodist Mission Aotearoa coordinates Methodist social and community services throughout the country. The organisation distributes allocated funds on behalf of The Tindall Foundation in its role as a Funding Manager.

The Tindall Foundation has donated $500,000 to the Christchurch Mayoral Fund, administered by the New Zealand Red Cross, which will be used for earthquake relief.

Part of the earthquake-damaged foodbank at the Christchurch Methodist Mission

Victory School

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:59:00 +1200

Victory Primary School in Nelson has adopted an approach of 'enrolling the family, not just the child'. Community facilities have been put in place on the school grounds and parents actively welcomed and encouraged to participate in their child's education.

The school previously had problems with bad behaviour, truancy, and stand-downs, with a high percentage of families moving away during each school year. Since introducing this approach nine years ago, there have been no stand-downs, truancy has been dramatically reduced, behaviour problems have been all but eliminated, families are staying in their school communities longer instead of moving away, and education outcomes have improved.

The Families Commission worked with Victory School to create these videos outlining their "community hub" approach. The Tindall Foundation contributed funding to produce Victory School DVDs, which have been widely distributed to schools, government and community organisations.

Links to short and long versions of Victory School videos:

Victory School Video 06:44min

Victory School Video 15:40 min

New Trustee Joan Withers

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:44:00 +1200

The Tindall Foundation Trustees welcome the return of Joan Withers to their ranks. Joan was previously an advisor to the Foundation, but left when she took up a full-time role leading the Fairfax Group's interests in New Zealand. Her recent retirement from this position timed well with the retirement of long-serving Trustee Peter Menzies, and she accepted an invitation to return to the Board.

Joan is a very experienced executive, director and trustee of a wide range of business and not-for-profit organisations. As a South Auckland resident, Joan brings particularly relevant interests, links and knowledge to the Foundation as it focuses on the most needy in our communities.

Farewell Peter Menzies

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +1200

Long-standing Trustee Peter Menzies has resigned from the The Tindall Foundation Board due to personal circumstances. The Tindall Foundation staff and Trustees wish Peter well and thank him for his outstanding contribution to the work of the Foundation.

Contribute your Case Studies

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1300

If your initiative has been funded by The Tindall Foundation, we invite you to contribute your own Case Studies. The Tindall Foundation wants to fill this website with inspiring stories and information about the great work being done by the organisations we fund. Please forward your summary, photos or ideas to zarleen.blakeley@tindall.org.nz

Social lending report

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:48:00 +1300

The Tindall Foundation and ASB Community Trust jointly commissioned Glen Saunders to look into the emerging field of social lending and investment overseas, and prospects for developing this in New Zealand. This report was produced in October 2009 and is now publicly available. You can download a short summary and the full report below.

Social lending think-piece (4 pages, 200 KB PDF)

A new funding paradigm: Prospects for social lending and investment by foundations in New Zealand (400 KB PDF)

Working Together More Fund

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +1300

The Tindall Foundation, in collaboration with the J R McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation and Wayne Francis Charitable Trust, has introduced the Working Together More Fund - He Pūtea Mahi Tahi.

The objective of the fund is to provide seeding assistance to organisations looking to work closer together to provide a better service for people in need.

In today's environment, demand for services is high but availability of resources has diminished and many organisations are struggling. New innovative ways of thinking and working are required.

A recent research project carried out by these funders found that collaboration between organisations could provide a successful way forward for many groups.

Find out more about this fund and download an application on the Working Together More Fund website: www.workingtogether.org.nz

Tindall Foundation powered by the sun

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +1200

Working with Sanyo and Reid Technology, The Tindall Foundation now has photo-voltaic panels on the roofs of both its buildings. The 9.4kW they provide will make the Foundation site almost self-sufficient in electricity. For more information on products and installation: http://www.sanyo.co.nz/products/solar or http://www.reidtechnology.co.nz/.

We are monitoring our CO2 reduction and power use. Check out the latest data here:

http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?page=e6e3325f-41fe-4bd1-bda4-d38f51cd42ff&plant=6b5ef374-acf3-4c06-a773-69fe8e506207&splang=en-US

The Tindall Foundation headquarters in Takapuna, North Shore

SCOPE long-term outcomes evaluation

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +1200

The evaluation findings on the long-term outcomes of the SCOPE capacity-building pilot were published in June. Most of the surveyed organisations believed that SCOPE support contributed to improved services to their clients and communities. For many, SCOPE was a turning point in their organisation's sustainability.

The survey data demonstrates a high level of gain (average 4.24 on a scale with a top score of 5) from the organisations that responded, on improvements in:

management and governance
improved internal relationships
ability of the organisations to identify and address problems
improved systems; clarity of purpose and direction
ability to deliver a service based on the organisation's intended purpose.

In addition, respondents reported high levels of maintenance of gains over time from SCOPE support.

For more information, read about the SCOPE pilot on our website and download the report:

SCOPE long-term outcomes evaluation (360 KB Word doc)

New website

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +1200

We are pleased to launch our revitalised website! SilverStripe built the site and they provide the open source software for our CMS (content management system). We hope you will find the new website more user-friendly as you apply for funding or find out more about what we do. You will see our new logo displayed here, which was introduced in December 2008. The logo design is based on New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson's life-size corrugated iron kauri tree at our Takapuna office. Feel free to contact website manager Zarleen Blakeley with any feedback: zarleen.blakeley@tindall.org.nz