Charities Services | Sector Showcase

Sector Showcase

Part of our role at Charities Services is celebrating and highlighting the work of charities across Aotearoa New Zealand. Our sector showcase is the chance to tell the stories of our charitable sector. Keep an eye out as we will continue to add to this page over the year.

How to feature

If you would like to feature as a sector showcase, please get in touch!

Email us at info@charities.govt.nz to share your story.

To feature as a sector showcase, charities must meet the following selection criteria:

charities must be registered with Charities Services
charities must be up to date and compliant with the reporting standards(external link).

Any decision to feature a charity is solely at Charities Services' discretion.

Accounting charities

There are many charities listed on the charities register who support other charities to do their mahi (work). There are far too many to mention them all, but we thought we could tell you about a few who make accounting easier for charities.

Read about Accounting charites here [PDF, 270 KB]

CommunityNet Aotearoa (NZ Navigator Trust)

CommunityNet Aotearoa is one of three capability building websites managed by NZ Navigator Trust. They are a registered charity that supports and grows community organisations across Aotearoa.

Read about CommunityNet Aotearoa and the NZ Navigator Trust here [PDF, 230 KB]

The Mixit Charitable Trust

The Mixit Charitable Trust is a registered charity that offers a multi-ethnic creative platform for young people throughout Aotearoa providing programmes and workshops, based around dance, drama and music.

Read about The Mixit Charitable Trust here [PDF, 350 KB]

Riding for the Disabled

New Zealand Riding For The Disabled Association's mahi is about improving health and wellbeing through interaction with horses. The charity aims to enable and support people experiencing disability, and those who have specific challenges or needs, to make a positive difference in local communities across New Zealand.

Read about Riding for the Disabled Association here [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Burn Support Charitable Trust

Burn Support Charitable Trust has a vision to provide support and assistance to burn survivors and their whānau during and after hospitalisation. Their events are safe havens for people to have share stories and learn strategies, tips and techniques to enrich and empower their day to day lives.

Read about Burn Support Charitable Trust here [PDF, 4.8 MB]

EcoMatters Environment Trust

EcoMatters was established two decades ago with the aim of delivering environmental initiatives to local communities. EcoMatters’ mission is to “nurture kaitiakitanga (guardianship)” and their vision is to see “the mauri (life force) of our whenua (environment) restored”.

Read about EcoMatters Environment Trust here [PDF, 796 KB].

LazySneakers

LazySneakers was founded by 16 year old student Maia Mariner. Since its launch in 2018, the charity has collected over 8,000 pairs of reusable sneakers and distributed over 7,500 pairs to people across Aotearoa, with the help of an established network of LazySneaker ambassadors.

Read Maia's interview here [PDF, 278 KB].

Teana Macdonald, Wellington City Mission

We reached out to Teana Macdonald from the Wellington City Mission to find out how she got involved in volunteering, how it’s contributed to her life, and her tips for others thinking about doing the same.

Read Teana's interview here [PDF, 138 KB]

Arohanui Strings Sistema Hutt Valley

Arohanui Strings is a registered charity from Lower Hutt, Wellington. They’re part of a global movement of Sistema-inspired education – a musical training model that empowers children to overcome the disadvantages of poverty and inequality through musical inclusion. In 2021, they taught around 300 tamariki across the Wellington region.

Manawatu Multicultural Council

Manawatu Multicultural Council (MMC) is a registered charity whose mission is to ‘celebrate, support and connect the multicultural communities of Manawatu’.

For over 27 years MMC has been an essential point of contact for new migrants, refugees and newcomers looking to put down new roots in the Manawatu region. They offer a range of services and host cultural events to celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures from all over the world.

Conservation Volunteers New Zealand

Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ) is a not-for-profit
organisation that’s all about inspiring environmental change by
connecting people with nature.

Through CVNZ’s project-based volunteering programmes,
people can get involved in a wide range of projects that care
for the environment and protect some of Aotearoa’s most
vulnerable wildlife.

Auckland Community Accounting

Auckland Community Accounting is collaborative service run by Auckland North Community and Development (ANCAD) in partnership with Massey University. Community groups are paired with accounting students who provide support or advice on financial matters.

The service is hugely beneficial to community groups who gain free and ongoing financial support, as well as the students who gain experience and knowledge of the charitable sector.

Community Waikato

Community Waikato is a registered charity that supports the development of communities, organisations, marae and groups in the Waikato-Tainui region. They offer a range of services aimed at helping communities thrive. Community Waikato regularly carry out planning to help them deliver their services. We talked to them about the importance of effective planning.

Give a Kid a Blanket

Give a Kid a Blanket is a registered charity and an art project founded by social artists, Bernie Harfleet and Donna Turtle Sarten. In the beginning, GaKaB was about exploring the practice of ‘Community Activated Art Action’, but with its growth it has now become a ‘Community Action of Kindness’.

The relief of poverty and the social issues that surround it is a cause that remains close to the heart of this charity. Since 2015, GaKaB have gifted over 60,000 blankets and over 40,000 care items to children and their families across the Auckland region.

Island Child Charitable Trust

Island Child Charitable Trust provides temporary accommodation to whānau and a 12 week residential programme based on an indigenous empowerment framework that helps to restore whanaungatanga (belonging and kinship) to whānau. The Trust is all about showing aroha and manaakitanga (hospitality and generosity) to some of society’s most vulnerable.

Manukorihi Pā Reserve Trust

Effective governance is vital for the success of any charity, however, in Māori charities, governance has its own unique challenges. When enforcing good governance Māori charities also need to think about tikanga principles

Manukorihi Pā Reserve Trust is a Māori charity that worked hard to put in place an effective governance strategy. Despite the effective governance and organisation of the Trust today, they have had to address certain areas of governance in the past. In the story linked below we talk to Manukorihi Pā Reserve Trust about their journey to effective governance and their best governance tips.

Para Kore

Para Kore (Zero Waste) is a registered charity that helps marae develop the tools to minimise their waste and reduce their impact through composting, growing their own kai and moving away from the ‘throw away’ mentality. 

We talked to Para Kore about the challenges they’ve faced in raising awareness of their cause and in achieving long-term financial stability. They also share their advice for other charities starting out on their zero waste journey.

We also talked to Para Kore about their COVID-19 response. When Aotearoa moved to Alert Level 4 Para Kore responded by coming up with creative solutions to spread their message without face-to-face interaction.

Belong Aotearoa

Belong Aotearoa is a social change organisation that has supported over 70,000 newcomers to Aotearoa since 2003. Formerly known as Auckland Regional Migrant Services Charitable Trust – ARMS, Belong Aotearoa has been delivering settlement support programmes that assist and inform people of migrant and refugee backgrounds for close to two decades.

The Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust

The Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust is a registered charity with the purpose of using music to promote the healing and personal growth of people with emotional, intellectual, physical or social challenges. When Aotearoa moved into lockdown, the Trust worried about how their clients would face the stress and uncertainty of isolation. They worked quickly to move their services online and they came up with creative ways to continue connecting with their clients.

Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand

The Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity that provides free, confidential, independent information and advice to anyone, about anything. It was founded to support individuals and communities through times of crisis, so it’s unsurprising that Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand has been flexible and responsive in supporting communities through COVID-19.

Volunteer Central and the Salvation Army

Volunteer Central is a registered charity that aims to connect communities through volunteering. They enable volunteering in Manawatu and surrounding districts by matching individuals with groups who need support.

When lockdown began the Salvation Army in Manawatu mobilised to organise, pack, and deliver care packages to vulnerable families in their community. There was a real need for essential supplies, and a real desire to help. Volunteer Central directed those wanting to help their community to the Salvation Army’s care package operation.

St Chads Communication Centre

St Chads Communication Centre is a registered charity in Rotorua that provides valuable support to adults with disabilities. They offer a range of different services to help their clients gain confidence and independence, and participate meaningfully in the community. When Alert Level 4 began St Chads worked quickly and creatively to move their services online, ensuring their clients continued to receive the support they needed to thrive.

K'aute Pasifika

K’aute Pasifika is a registered charity with the mission of improving the holistic wellbeing of all individuals, families and communities. They provide free health, education, social and employment services to Pacific communities, using pacific models of care. When New Zealand moved to Alert Level 4, K’aute Pasifika had to quickly adapt their services to meet community needs.

Re-Source

Re-Source is a registered charity that supports their local community and environment by collecting unwanted goods from homes and businesses. They supply quality donations to social workers who pass the goods on to their clients, while repairing or upcycling unusable items to keep them out of the landfill. When COVID-19 began to affect New Zealanders, Re-Source worked with their local community to sew face masks for healthcare workers, other support workers and homeless people.

Voice of Aroha

Voice of Aroha is a radio show that airs fortnightly on Access Radio. It was established by a group of former refugees with the vision of creating an inclusive platform for the diverse communities of Wellington. When New Zealand moved to Alert Level 4 as a result of COVID-19, Voice of Aroha faced challenges. But they came up with some creative solutions to continue their work.

Challenge 2000

Challenge 2000 is a professional youth development, community and family social work agency. When the move to Alert Level 4 was announced, Challenge 2000 was deemed an ‘essential service’. They worked quickly and efficiently to make a plan for how they would continue working while taking all possible health and safety precautions.

Student Volunteer Army

Student Volunteer Army was formed after the Christchurch Earthquakes in 2010 when a team of students organised 11,000 volunteers to shovel liquefaction out of the city. Today the University of Canterbury SVA Club has over 3,000 members every year! The Club works on over 50 community based projects per year, as well as responding to disasters such as the Christchurch Earthquakes, the Mosque Attacks and COVID-19.

Bellyful

Bellyful's founder, Jacqui Ritchie recognised the power of having a couple of cooked meals stashed in the freezer to ease family stress, and Bellyful was born, delivering meals to families with newborn babies, and families with young children struggling with illness.

One Percent Collective

One Percent Collective started as an idea in the shower after a volunteering stint on the Thai/Burma border where Pat says he saw the challenge of securing long term funding for charities and engaging a younger generation to give.

Wellington City Mission and Compassion Soup Kitchen

We spoke to Olivia Lange, Community Programmes Manager for the Wellington City Mission and Paula Jones, Volunteer Coordinator for the Compassion Soup Kitchen in Te Aro, Wellington to get some insight into how to make sure you have the right number of hands on deck and how to coordinate extra staff and volunteers.

Christchurch City Chorus of Sweet Adelines

Founded in 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sweet Adelines started as a small group of women who loved to sing. Since then it has evolved into an organisation of more than 21, 000 singers that spans the globe, connecting women around the world in sisterhood. We shine the spotlight on the Christchurch City Chorus of Sweet Adelines, often referred to as the "All Blacks of singing", and for good reason.