The year ending June 2019 has been a significant year for Christchurch Foundation.

Our endowment programme began in July 2018 with our first agreement being signed by an anonymous donor.  A second endowment has been secured.  in close succession.  Endowments are the core business of any Community Foundation. We were thrilled to get this work underway prior to publicly launching.

September 2018 was a milestone month as the Foundation began public activities with the launch of the Women’s Fund at Kate Sheppard’s House. Ōtautahi/Christchurch has a proud history of leading social change. As such, it was logical for us to look to support women and girls making positive change in our communities. The date was especially significant as it marked 125 years since women received the right to vote.

In September our first KPMG Thinker in Residence, Hila Oren, spent three weeks voluntarily working in our city. Hila had a constructive impact on our city. The new positioning of our city, as the city of exploration, came from Hila’s work while she was here. 

Securing $2.5M in operational funding for Tūranga was the first pass through gift for The Foundation to facilitate. Tūranga’s opening in October was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the generosity of TSB, Spark and Southbase.

Late in 2018 work began on our offshore activities. The process to establish a UK registered charity started, and our UK trustees were appointed in May 2019.

March 15 is etched in all our memories. One of the primary reasons The Christchurch Foundation was established was to respond in times of disaster. None of us dreamt that we would be called upon so soon to fulfil this role. Within hours of the attacks the Mayor and the Prime Minister asked us to act on their behalf to collect funds for the Victims. The Our People, Our City Fund was launched on March 16th.

For the remainder of the year we have worked hard to make it easier for generous people, businesses and countries from around the world to support those impacted by the attacks. Within weeks we had received over 18,000 gifts and by the end of 2019 FY we had $11m in pledged and received funds. Additional information about our response can be found on our website. 

Our People, Our City has taken almost all our limited resources. We have relied heavily on the support of generous businesses and individuals who have gifted their time and expertise. Special thanks must go to Pip Joker, Eleanor Cater, Stacey Scott, Westpac, SPARK, Qrious, Blackbaud and KPMG.

In June Meridian Energy joined our whanau as a City Partner. Our collaboration has a focus on a stronger, greener Christchurch. The partnership will see us working on sustainability and energy initiatives to benefit the city and its residents. It is a long-term commitment to making Christchurch a leader in climate action and an even stronger community. We are looking forward to announcing projects under this partnership next year.

Julia Rose and Kim Elder joined The Christchurch Foundation as permanent employees in June. We are thrilled to have them on board.

In addition to the activities listed above we continue to work as advocates for the not-for-profit sector, as well as providing advice and practical support to this critical part of our community. We have been thrilled to have been able to link donors such as Brannigans to worthy causes within Ōtautahi, Christchurch.

As we look to next year, we know that collection of the remaining pledges and distribution of the Our People, Our City Fund will be a significant focus for us. While challenging, providing support for the victims of March 15 has been a huge honour for the Foundation.

In addition to our disaster response we have several exciting initiatives underway with our partners and donors. We have no doubt that our positive impact on Christchurch will continue to grow in 2020 FY.

Download the 2019 annual report