IMPACT
We are here to ensure our community's needs are met, both now and in the future. All money raised here, stays here.
The Christchurch Foundation focuses on directing donations towards specific local needs, which have been identified by Cantabrians.
THE EVOLUTION OF
THE CHRISTCHURCH COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
The 2010/2011 earthquakes highlighted the need for a strategic approach to philanthropy in Christchurch.
Many cities, corporates and individuals from around the world wanted to gift to the city’s recovery. A mayoral fund and a central government initiative were launched to act
as vehicles to enable this, but neither were developed with a long-term view.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) spent some time investigating options for various models and ownership. In 2015, the City established a Funding Steering Committee, who recommended to Council that a Community Foundation be established following a global trend where cities are providing an entity for the transparent management and facilitation of major gifting and business partnerships.
The Christchurch City Council approved the establishment of a Community Foundation in August 2016, and The Christchurch Foundation became a registered charity in September 2017. Since we started, we have facilitated over $15.3m of funds into our city, supporting our community through the Port Hills fires and March 15th Mosque shootings. The Christchurch Foundation now enjoys a global reputation for its work to make greater Christchurch better through innovative programmes, driven by both donor- and community-identified priorities.
IMPACT STORIES
TŪĪ CORRIDOR
Significant community and business engagement in the programme.
Ran 7 planting days with an estimated
200 participants.
Supplied 18 organisations and 11 public reserves with plants.
Developed content to share the
story and raise awareness.
Leveraged Meridian’s database to grow awareness through newsletters, social platforms, and media.
24,000
Native trees Planted
Throughout the programme.
ACTION
Planting the correct food or "tūī tucker" to sustain a growing population of nectar feeding birds. Also planting in a planned corridor to encourage birds into the city and suburbs.
The goal is to build an archipelago of ‘tūī islands’ planted with tūī-friendly vegetation such as kōwhai and harakeke. The strategy is to build a ‘corridor’ stretching between Christchurch and Banks Peninsula - eventually reaching into both the Selwyn and Waimakariri districts, and restoration work by the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust has translocated small populations of tūī after decades of their absence.
The Foundation developed the concept with a tūī expert, Meridian Energy funded it and delivered all the project and wider community engagement including raising awareness of what to plant in your backyard.
CONTRIBUTION TO OVERALL IMPACT
Established a major environmental sustainability programme in the greater Òtautahi Christchurch and beyond.
Our Planet
TE AHU PĀTIKI
“A significant fundraising project of this nature was totally new to us. Working with the Christchurch Foundation meant that we could seize the opportunity in front of
us quickly, because the Foundation had the systems and experience
we needed. It was great to work with an organisation who understood the significance of this project for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula”.
Andrew Turner, Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust
ACTION
Assisted the Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust to raise money to purchase the two tallest peaks on Banks Peninsula for ecological restoration and permanent public access - Te Ahu Pātiki.
We worked closely with the team to help bring their campaign to life - developing the media strategy and fine-tuning all the marketing materials together. We also set up a user-friendly donation platform to make it easy for supporters to contribute. The Foundation handled all the donation processing and made sure the funds were smoothly transferred to the Trust.
CONTRIBUTION TO OVERALL IMPACT
Successfully assisted in the raising
of the funds to purchase a significant ecological block of land –
Te Ahu Pātiki
Total funds raised and passed on $390K.
Built significant capacity and action channels to enable the fundraising
to happen in a timely manner.
Our Place
KAHUKURA
"This is one of the most impressive and well curated pride events I have attended in my career".
Elektra Shock / aka James Luck
ACTION
A black-tie fundraising dinner
to support the PRIDE Fund.
CONTRIBUTION TO OVERALL IMPACT
The Christchurch Foundation held the inaugural Kahukura Dinner in 2023, with over 250 attendees.
This event demonstrated solidarity and support for greater Ōtautahi Christchurch's LGBTQIA+ community and raised money for the Pride Endowment Fund.
This dinner not only kickstarted our PRIDE Endowment Fund, but media coverage and anecdotal feedback proved that this was an excellent platform with which to raise awareness of the issues faced by the
rainbow community.
Our People