Nau Mai, Haere Mai.
Welcome to a bumper issue! We have a lot to tell you about, check it all below! So much in fact that we’ve skipped Kelvyn’s column this issue – let’s get straight into it!
Secure the Future of your Group’s Mission, in a town near you!
The first outing of our new seminar aimed at the leadership of community groups was a huge success. Held at The Link in Hamilton on 25 August (pictured above), the socially distanced seats were all taken, a great way to create a ‘full house’ feeling!
‘Secure the Future of your Group’s Mission’ introduces how trusts and other community entities sitting on capital or assets would benefit from bringing them aboard our regional endowment fund. It also reports back on the Waikato Vital Signs 2020 report, to explain how it sets the priorities for the region’s community funders.
Ever since we’ve been fielding inquiries from attendees keen to further discuss how we can help them diversify and grow their funding streams.
We’re now taking the show on the road around the region in the coming weeks, with dates confirmed for Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, Paeroa, Thames, Matamata and Tokoroa, with Huntly and Cambridge dates to come.
You should have already received an invite via email to those events, or you can read it on our website.
September is Wills Month
New Zealand marks ‘Wills Month’ in September, an annual prompt to create or update this all-important record of what you want to have happen when you pass away.
Having an up-to-date Will gives you peace of mind that you have made the best plans possible for the people and causes you care about, making it easier for your family and friends to do the right thing when the time comes. However, creating or updating a Will can be a daunting prospect, especially if you rarely engage with lawyers.
To mark September as Wills Month, Momentum Waikato is partnering with leading solicitors Tompkins Wake to make the process easier.
Greatest Needs Appeal keeps on giving!
Donations to The Greatest Needs Appeal have provided this Tokoroa family with firewood to get through the winter.
The Greatest Needs Appeal is Momentum Waikato’s ongoing response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Launched during the April lockdown, our call for donations to support in-need locals has slotted into the overall coordination of the Waikato Community Funders Group and the outreach gateway service provided by the ‘Here to Help U’ online support tool launched by Community Waikato.
Find out more about where the support has gone.
New lake and outdoor rec fund create bright future for Huntly
An old mine site near Huntly and the sale of a camp near Raglan will create synergies that will benefit youth from the North Waikato and further afield.
The Allen Family has bought the former Huntly East mine site, which is adjacent to their family farm and centres on a large hole filling with water, such that in about five years it will be a 1.2km-long, 500m-wide and 70m-deep lake.
Meanwhile the Karioi Trust has been looking for ways to continue their mission to provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the youth of Huntly and the North Waikato, following the sale of their camp next to Mt Karioi near Raglan.
Intercultural initiative to bring diverse communities together
A community consultation workshop held in November 2019 helped set the parameters for the Waikato Intercultural Fund.
A new philanthropic fund set up to support projects that bring together the Waikato’s diverse cultures now has a foundational Board in place and a new title.
The Waikato Intercultural Fund (WIF), previously the Waikato Cultural Inclusion Fund, was established by Momentum Waikato following discussions with local ethnic and migrant support services, with its initial launch in March 2019 being prompted by the Christchurch terrorist attack.
A Giving Story: 'Our gift to the Waikato will flow on into the future'
Leaving a bequest in their Wills towards the future of the Waikato is an important priority for a couple looking to give back to the region they love to call home.
The donors, who have asked not to be named, were keen to explain why they chose Momentum Waikato, the region’s Community Foundation, to realise their aspirations.
Why have you made bequests in your Wills to Momentum Waikato’s regional endowment fund?
“We are a committed and loyal Waikato family who have spent our lives enjoying what our region has to offer.
“Momentum Waikato provides us with a ‘voice’ in the realisation of community projects and a way of making our modest dollars join together with others to deliver a collective impact.
Taking the Waikato’s pulse at a pivotal moment in history
A key Waikato community data and consultation project that will inform local funders’ and philanthropists’ decision-making has confirmed long-standing challenges and pointed to new concerns.
The Waikato Vital Signs® 2020 report, titled ‘Welcome to Waikato – The Beating Heart of New Zealand’, is now available for download from momentumwaikato.nz/vital-signs, as both a full report and in ten sections for easy on-screen reading.
Theatre construction is getting closer
As we’ve previously reported, progress on the Waikato Regional Theatre has been slowed by the Covid crisis, but rest assured the project is still on track.
We have been working through the remaining legal issues related to archaeological authorities. What we can tell you is that everything raised by Heritage New Zealand has been resolved, such that we have withdrawn our legal appeal to their initial decision.
Meanwhile an appeal from another party is still in mediation, but that looks close to being sorted.
The other matters in the realms of planning, reviewing consent conditions and finalising contract pricing and details are close to resolution, so if things pan out as they should, we are still due to ‘turn the first sod’ on the site before the end of the year.
Shrooms delight and intrigue
Visitors to Hamilton’s Garden Place have been enjoying the Shrooms temporary public art installation, brought over from Sydney by Boon Street Art and the indefatigable Nancy Caiger. This ‘Boon After Dark’ event is truly magical at night, so make sure you get down there after hours before it ends in early November.
We’re very happy to have given them a hand to make it happen.
As Kelvyn says: “The Waikato Regional Theatre will connect the CBD to the river, will integrate stories of iwi and hapu into the design, provide an arts venue to promote vibrancy to the city and to promote growth of our region’s creative sector. Support of inner city, public arts programmes such as Boon after Dark is a great way to progress this vision as the Waikato Regional Theatre begins to take shape.”
No.8 Wire Art binds town and country
We are a staunchly Waikato organisation, so we value every opportunity we get to work with, and add value to, world-beating Waikato brands.
So when Fieldays asked us on short notice to help them find a new prize sponsor for their fantastic No.8 Wire Art Awards, we said “look no further, we’ll do it!”.
Institute of Directors: Corporate social responsibility advocate wins Waikato director award
Hamilton man Kelvyn Eglinton, chief executive of Momentum Waikato Te Puaawaitanga O Waikato, has won this year’s Emerging Director Award granted by the Waikato Branch of the Institute of Directors.
Mr. Eglinton will receive governance training and development to the value of $5000, including complimentary IoD membership for a year, mentoring with an experienced director, and a 12-month board role with Hospice Waikato.
Judging criteria for the award required the winner be committed to and have a sound understanding of governance principles, senior management experience, leadership and interpersonal strengths and be also committed to developing the Waikato business community.