Ka whāngaia, ka tupu, ka puāwai – that which is nurtured will grow and blossom.
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Throughout the year, we have planted the seeds of our individual and collective gardens, spent time watering the soil, weeding, creating the best conditions we can for our kaupapa to thrive. We now approach a period of rest: a time to take our hands off the tools and direct our attention toward enjoying the fruits of our labour.
Whether those fruits be a well-deserved break, new skills, the completion of a mahi project, or the wisdom gained through navigating the peaks and valleys of another year – I hope we can all look back on that which we have nurtured over the past few months with great pride and a sense of fulfilment.
On behalf of the CSI team, I want to mihi to everyone we have had the privilege of engaging with this year. From the community members who have attended our Te Pūaha Talks, to the various organisations and kaupapa from across the motu that we’ve worked with, this year has been full of amazing moments, insightful korero, deep learning, and always, immense growth.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many.
Karinia Lee, Head of Centre | Kaihautu
Centre for Social Impact
Our year of social impact
Our review of the Centre’s work over the 2024/ 2025 year is now available.
The review provides a snapshot of some examples of the Centre’s support for funders, changemakers and organisations making a difference in our communities. We also note some of the webinars, tools, research and reports, training, interviews and insights in our knowledge hub, Te Pūaha o te Ako, for the wider social impact community.
“The review illustrates the diversity of the organisations we work alongside. We learn so much from each relationship and project. That helps inform the development of sector resources for Te Pūaha,” Karinia says.
“The support of Foundation North, both as our parent and major ‘client’ and the experience and talent of our network are what makes it possible for us to do what we do."
Special thanks to Women’s Refuge, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, Mixit Charitable Trust, Te Ngākau Kahukura, Belong Aotearoa, Foundation North, and JR McKenzie Trust for allowing us to profile our work with you.
Funders bring action to their Climate commitment
Climate Action Aotearoa 2025 Annual Impact Report Summary is out and highlighting the insights, challenges, and opportunities experienced by the 18 signatories to the Funders’ Commitment on Climate Action.
Climate Action co-lead, Arohanui West, says the progress of the Climate Action Working Group “is a reflection of the desire and dedication of our communities to embrace a Tika Transition, honour our Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and advance climate and biodiversity solutions for the betterment of Aotearoa." Read more.
‘Pou Tuarā’ – supporting sector leadership
Leadership, particularly in communities that are facing complex challenges, requires ongoing, adaptive support.
The traditional model of short-term training programmes often fails to provide leaders with the sustained connection and resources they need to thrive over time. The Pou Tuarā leadership circles, designed and facilitated by CSI and supported by Foundation North, Trust Waikato and Clare Foundation respond to that need.
Through providing sustained, meaningful support for leaders, moving beyond one-off programmes to a model that avoids burnout and nurtures long-term growth and resilience. Pou Tuarā is an 18-month programme, led by experienced facilitators from the Centre for Social Impact. This long-term approach allows for culturally appropriate and tailored support and is designed to foster holistic leadership that not only strengthens individual leaders but also builds stronger, more resilient communities.
A Kaupapa Māori Leadership Circle provides a dedicated space for Māori leaders, grounded in Māori values and practices, providing a supportive environment for leaders to share, learn, and grow together in alignment with tikanga and Te Ao Māori values. A Tangata Tiriti Leadership Circle is for leaders who wish to explore, deepen, and refine their leadership capabilities while being supported in a collaborative, nurturing environment.
The inaugural wānanga for both circles have been held, with 30 leaders joining for the journey. We will be sharing insights from the circles and their participants throughout 2026.
Read more about these community leaders here.
Current CSI resources for leaders can be found here.
Funding Upstream and Systemic Change - J R McKenzie Trust
People working to change harmful systems can face tough, unpredictable journeys. Providing effective support to these changemakers invites funders to work differently.
A new report from J R McKenzie Trust offers some thoughts on ways forward for funders, based on the trust’s experience. The report makes it clear that funding systems change is not a simple process of tweaking the standard ‘grantmaker/ grantee’ dynamic. Read more.
Powering deeper change - funding advocacy
Funder interest in advocacy to support systems change is growing, with many funders in New Zealand and internationally seeking to sharpen their understanding and practice.
Our latest Insights paper reviews advocacy as a vital lever for change, identifies local resources and case studies of effective advocacy, and emerging international thinking. Read more.
Understanding impact – funder resources
CSI has developed several resources to help philanthropic funders understand the impact of their funding.
The resources address the five key elements for good practice in understanding impact:
- Identify what you want to know at the three levels of funder, grantee and wider impact.
- Consider how your own practices and policies enable or block impact.
- Focus your evaluation efforts to reflect what you want to know.
- Make sure your reporting requirements are clear and meaningful for everyone.
- Be ethical and clear in your use of community data.
These resources were developed by our associates based on their work supporting Foundation North to refine its approach to monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL).
Join our Haumanu community of learning and practice
In 2026, CSI will offer a community of learning and practice for community sector kaimahi who wish to explore the Haumanu approach to restorative systems change. We are now seeking expressions of interest from anyone who may wish to join the community.
The Community of Learning and Practice is an exciting opportunity to deepen your understanding of Haumanu alongside other people in the sector who are supporting their workplaces or communities to redesign systems and organisations.
If this sounds like you, let us know by filling out an Expression of Interest form.
The cost per person will depend on the numbers wishing to participate. Once we know this, we will let you know so you can decide whether or not you wish to proceed. If you are interested, but are unlikely to be able to pay, please put in an Expression of Interest anyway as we hope to offer a limited number of scholarships from other funders.
Hauora by the seasons – spring to summer
This year Te Pūaha Talks have included quarterly wellbeing webinars anchored by our associate Tuihana Ohia.
The latest webinar; Kōanga to Raumati - spring to summer, a time of celebration and joy. If you missed the webinar, you can catch up with Tuihana here.