Whiria te tāngata – weave the people together
Tēnā koutou katoa,
When I reflect on the past three months, the words collaboration, resilience, planning, and future focus come to mind. Starting the year with resounding purpose and direction, the community and philanthropic sectors have wasted no time navigating new and familiar challenges with consideration and care.
As the impacts of recent weather events continue to be felt across the motu, working together for the future of te tangata and te taiao feels more important than ever. As increasing collaborative efforts across the sector show no signs of slowing down, I am excited to see what learnings, impact, and insights 2026 has in store.
The Philanthropy NZ (PNZ) Conference was a window into what is emerging in the sector. It was exciting to be together with delegates from various sectors for two days of sharing, connection, and diverse kōrero about the future of philanthropy in Aotearoa. I want to thank Robyn Scott and the PNZ team and board for creating such a valuable opportunity. Thanks also to the panellists, speakers, and facilitators who generously shared their time, experiences, and insights with us.
In this edition of The Dial, we’re excited to share our Climate Action Tools Hub resource for not-for-profits, three new interviews with sector leaders from our Pou Tuarā leadership circle, and recent updates to Te Pūaha o te Ako (the Knowledge Hub).
Mauri ora
Karinia Lee, Head of Centre | Kaihautu
Centre for Social Impact
Reimagining the Future Together - the 2026 PNZ conference
The Philanthropy New Zealand Conference in Auckland in early March brought together over 400 delegates. They came from the philanthropy, corporate, government, and advisory sectors to explore the theme of ‘Reimagining the Future Together - People. Place. Progress.' Our CSI associates brought their experience to sessions on elevating community impact, engaging community and sharing knowledge for climate impact, and The Funders Commitment on Climate Action.
CSI Head of Centre, Karinia Lee: “With the current state of play here and globally, I really appreciated the kōrero around collaboration on agreed focus areas to lift impact. It was also good to see the intergenerational nature of those attending, including the rangatahi who will shape the future of philanthropy.”
CSI programme coordinator Michelle Gallagher: “Hearing from next generation voices coming through in philanthropy. Both Josiah Tualamali’I and Caitlin Green’s kōrero left a lasting impression. I also loved re-connecting with the Youth in Philanthropy rōpū. It made me feel excited for the future and for being a part of this sector.”
Associate Chloe Harwood: “Precious Clark’s opening address on the background to the kōtuitanga, the reciprocal partnership between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Foundation North, was an inspiring start to the conference. It highlighted the importance of acknowledging our history and provided critical insights around trust‑based philanthropy, long‑term funding to improve outcomes, and the development of reciprocal partnerships with tangata whenua.”
More information on the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Foundation North kōtuitanga is available here.
For another perspective on the conference, enjoy this LinkedIn post from Genevieve Timmons, Australian philanthropic executive and author of Savvy Giving on her “ten top takeaways for the recent cracker philanthropy conference in beautiful Aotearoa”.
Hub for Leaders – new leadership kōrero
We have three new interviews with community leaders available on our Te Pūaha o te Ako Leadership Hub. Our associate Arohanui West has kōrero with Tania Bristow, kaupapa-driven, mokopuna-led, community leader and co-founder of the Te Kōrau Māori business programme; Sacha Harwood, Prevention and Partnership Lead for Hikitia! For Our Future in the Bay of Plenty; and Shawn Wimalaratne, Co-Chair of Rainbow Youth.
Listen now
Not sure how to address your climate impact? We can help with that!
Our latest Te Pūaha resource for the sector is the Climate Action Tools Hub. The hub is a response to the challenge small not-for-profit (NFP) organisations can face determining where to begin addressing their climate impact.
The first tool on the hub is a directory which provides an overview and links to the top-performing 25 climate action websites. These provide a range of low-effort, culturally-grounded tools that will empower your organisation to take meaningful and immediate steps.
Hauora by the seasons - series
Tuihana Ohia’s programme of quarterly wellbeing webinars, created to support community hauora, is now available in Te Pūaha o te Ako.
Each of the four workshops draw on mātauranga Māori to acknowledge the changing seasons and how each season brings new opportunities to nurture our wellbeing.
Learn more
The 2026 Ki te Hoe Wānanga series – registrations now open
Registrations are now open for the Ki te Hoe Wānanga Series for 2026.
The series, which begins at the end of May, supports leaders in philanthropy and social change to better understand and support Māori aspirations, to operate more authentically and to apply this knowledge to help build a thriving Aotearoa. Ki te Hoe (meaning “to the paddle,” or “let’s get going”) involves three marae-based wānanga and four online hui, held over a seven-month period from May to November 2026.
Ki te Hoe offers a unique opportunity for personal, professional and organisational development for trustees, senior managers, Māori advisors, and senior managers and leaders of organisations involved in philanthropy and/or making positive social change, and who are on their journey of understanding Te Ao Māori.
Community innovation - The Values Trust; ‘creating the Aotearoa we believe is possible’
The Values Trust is a Raglan-based organisation ‘taking an intentional role in creating the Aotearoa we believe is possible – where our land is regenerated, the animals in our care are happy and well, and children learn and thrive.’ A signatory of the Funders Commitment on Climate Action (FCCA) the trust’s innovative projects include managing their own carbon-offsetting by planting thousands of native trees on an ex-dairy farm, and setting up a social enterprise doggy daycare, ‘Floofsters’. All Floofsters proceeds go to animal welfare charity, Helping You Help Animals (HUHA).
Recent initiatives include partnering with another community-focused trust to establish a solar farm on their property to provide free electricity to homes in the region experiencing energy poverty.
Learn more
Changing Paradigms - For Charity and Business
Changing Paradigms is a collection of essays from 25 contributors across Aotearoa New Zealand, edited by Steven Moe, Partner at Parry Field Lawyers and host of Seeds podcast. Authors include Shamubeel Eaqub, Lani Evans, Jenny Gill, Caren Rangi and Josiah Tualamali’i. It provides perspectives from experts on topics ranging from youth and charities, the economy, challenges for governance, AI, the role of funders, Pasifika insights, and impact Investing
Changing Paradigms is available for download here.
Good Governance: Online Workshops and Resources
Community Governance Aotearoa is offering online workshops on the Good Governance Code. The workshops introduce six principles that define what is good governance for community organisations.
More information and a link to registration is available here.
Another excellent online resource for anyone wishing to build their governance skills is the Tick for Governance course. Developed by Community Networks Aotearoa collaboratively with not-for-profit organisations, Tick for Governance is accredited as an NZQA micro-credential. Ten modules, each of which takes around one hour to complete, cover governance issues including board roles and responsibilities, legal responsibilities, and governance versus management – ‘helpful vs stickybeak.’ The first module, Te Tiriti and Relationships with Māori, is available free of charge
Register here.
Reminder: re-register incorporated societies before 5 April
A friendly reminder that all incorporated societies must re-register under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 by 5 April (Easter Sunday). If a society does not re-register by this date, it will no longer be able to operate as an incorporated society.
Learn more.