Generosity News - October 2026
Published on 21 October, 2026
Cultivating community legacies through strategic giving
By Janice Lapwood, General Manager Endowments, Momentum Waikato.
In our last newsletter, I wrote on the unprecedented upcoming transfer of wealth between generations and how it provides a unique opportunity for individuals and families to establish lasting charitable legacies through gifting methods such as gift-in-Wills, trust transfers, or direct donations.
At Momentum Waikato we are currently managing fifty endowment funds that support regional causes and community services.
Benefiting from a strong performance across our investment portfolios that has averaged over 14% in the past year, our named funds are well-positioned to distribute increased financial support to local organisations.
Can local generosity help mend a fraying society?
By Eleanor Cater, Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand - CFANZ.
When over a hundred people from community foundations around the country gathered in Kirikiriroa Hamilton in mid-September, the conversation kept returning to one uncomfortable question - is New Zealand still holding together?
The two-day conference ‘Building Connected Communities – Te Hanga i Ngā Hapori Tūhono’ landed as the evidence on declining social cohesion is getting harder to ignore.
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub opened with data showing New Zealanders' trust and connection to one another is declining at pace.
For community foundations like your local Momentum Waikato, those findings matter.
Alongside CFANZ’s own BERL ‘Giving in Aotearoa New Zealand 2026’ research (see below), the conference made clear that cohesion and generosity are closely linked, because people give to what they can see and where they belong.
That reframes what community foundations are for - not simply moving money to causes but also helping build the trust and connection that make generosity possible, and shifting power to the local grassroots.
Read more of this column originally published by Waikato Business News.
Medieval Garden opens, onwards to Baroque Garden!
We're chuffed to have played the central role in the fundraising for the newly opened Medieval Garden at Hamilton Gardens. It really is splendid, do go and check it out as soon as you can!
Some of us attended the opening on Wednesday 23 September, pictured above, which was an honour and privilege we shared with a couple of hundred other supporters, though for us with the insight of having seen it when it was just a box of concrete walls.
Te Rau Oranga scholarships launch health careers
By Samuel Tan, Te Rau Oranga coordinator, Te Kura Tuarua o Taniwharau - Fraser High School.
Te Rau Oranga continues to offer a by-Maaori-for-Maaori approach to aakonga at Te Kura Tuarua o Taniwharau in both the tuakana and teina spaces.
The goal for our teina spaces is to encourage our aakonga Maaori at Years 9-10 to keep attending their classes and engaging in their learning.
A collective approach is taken at a teina level. This comes in the form of organising in-school kaupapa, while also connecting with spaces outside of our kura as well. For example, attending Koroneihana, Kiiorahi Regionals, offering after-school tutorials, and incentivising and rewarding aakonga with kai.
Studies show that the more aakonga connect into kaupapa outside of a classroom, the more likely they will feel and think that they belong to a kura community. This then has a flow-on effect, whereby they put in more effort in both their attendance and learning due to those stronger bonds.
Financial literacy grant supports local budgeting service
A North Waikato budget advice service has got a welcome boost from a Momentum Waikato endowment that helps people to prosper through better money management.
Te Kauwhata Community House has been offering its budgeting support since soon after it opened 30 years ago, and last year it received a grant from the Waikato Financial Literacy Fund, which was founded at Momentum Waikato by John and Nicola Kenel.
“Understanding money gives people more control over their lives,” says John.
“It’s not just about balancing the budget this week. It’s about avoiding expensive mistakes and having a chance to get ahead.”
“Asking for help with money can be hard,” says Nicola.
“Having someone local who listens and helps you work out the next step can make a real difference to a family.”
House Manager Lauren Hughes says people getting budget advice usually first make contact with the Community House through using one or more of their other services.
Mortimer memorial unveiled at Taitua Arboretum
Was a great honour to attend the unveiling of the Mortimer Memorial at Taitua Arboretum in late September. A number of speakers, including Hamilton Mayor Tim Macindoe, pictured above, acknowledged the amazing vision and effort work of the late John and Bunny Mortimer in creating the amazing 20-hectare park full of many species of mature trees.
John and Bunny, who both lived into their 90s, were the first donors to Momentum Waikato back in 2015, when they set up the Mortimer Taitua Fund to support the ongoing development of the Arboretum. This was an early vote of confidence in Momentum for which we have always been really grateful.
Survey shows Kiwis are open to charitable giving in Wills
New research released by Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand (CFANZ) suggests that charitable gifts in Wills are of significant interest among New Zealanders who already give to charity, and Momentum Waikato and other local charities are set to benefit.
The CFANZ survey of over 3,000 New Zealanders across different regions, ages and incomes was carried out by independent research consultancy BERL and found that 52.3% of New Zealanders surveyed were interested in the idea of leaving a gift in their Will to charity - with 17.4% indicating that they have already done so.
The voluntary, self-selected survey was a close-up look at those New Zealanders who already give - 90.5% of respondents had donated in the past year - so the findings reflect a giving-oriented group rather than the population as a whole.
“The research is clear that the biggest barrier to charitable gifts in Wills isn't a lack of willingness,” says Janice Lapwood, General Manager Endowments at Momentum Waikato.
Farewell and thanks to David Christiansen
A huge thanks to David Christiansen, who ended his time as our Executive Officer earlier this month after two years in the position.
“Those who know me will know I’ve filled a number of challenging roles over the last ten years,” said Dave when his move was first announced to stakeholders in July.
“I’ve therefore decided it is time for me to have a break for a while and spend some time with family, re-engage with the outdoors and generally recharge, before thinking about what I want my next chapter to be."
NEW - a Waikato Intercultural Fund newsletter
The Waikato Intercultural Fund team have launched a quarterly newsletter.
It is a platform for thought leadership on interculturalism and the related topics of social cohesion, diversity and anti-racism, and is intended to complement their ‘Whiria Te Tangata-Connecting Communities’ speaker events and grant-making to relevant groups and projects.
The first issue includes 'Why Terminology Matter' and 'Grounded in Te Tiriti, strengthened by diversity' by the WIF team, plus 'Partnering for an intercultural Waikato' by Associate Professor Justine Kingsbury, Head of Te Rākau Kotahi School of Law, Politics and Philosophy at The University of Waikato.
Read the WIF newsletter and see how to subscribe.
Empowering Coromandel and Colville into the future
The new Coromandel & Colville Future Fund provides residents and visitors with the opportunity to donate now, or give through your Will, to a locally driven funding vehicle dedicated to the top of the Peninsula.
Stephen Town was Cyclone Recovery Lead at TCDC, where he saw the need for the Peninsula’s communities to have their own funding sources. He then played a central role in creating the Coromandel Future Funds, and after leaving the Council became a Momentum trustee to provide a Coromandel voice at its Board table.
“After Cyclone Gabrielle and the other storms around that time, it became clear that for the Coromandel to thrive, everyone needed to co-operate and invest in better infrastructure,” says Stephen.
“This is where generous and forward-thinking locals and businesses can intersect with government, iwi and councils, with each playing a role in building more resilient and successful communities."
Think 1% for the Waikato and Coromandel
A small percentage can make a lasting difference!
Imagine if 1% of the estates of people across the Waikato and Coromandel was left to strengthen the communities we call home.
‘1% for Waikato and Coromandel’ is about creating a culture where leaving a small charitable gift in your Will becomes a normal part of planning for the future.
“Have you considered leaving 1% of your estate to support your local community?”
For people from any and all walks of life, this simple question is an invitation to think beyond your lifetime and consider what you would like your legacy to be.
We also ask lawyers, accountants and financial advisors to please start the conversation with your clients with that simple question.
