Established in 1991 after the Cartwright Inquiry, Mana Wāhine Incorporated has a kaupapa to empower and support women to make informed choices about their health.
In 2023, Mana Wāhine launched their own website to encourage women to take charge of their health and showcase their services in a powerful, meaningful and vivid way.
Home4All’s innovative programme aims to restore a level of independence, create moments of joy and happiness and bring a sense of pride to people in the preliminary stages of dementia.
All visitors are encouraged to use their skillsets, rediscover their passions and spend time doing things they love in a safe, social and welcoming environment.
Established in 2021, Wairarapa Pūkaha to Kawakawa Alliance (colloquially referred to as WaiP2K) has a mission to bring people together from Mount Bruce to Cape Palliser and mobilise volunteers to get involved in a range of local conservation projects.
First located out of Cuba Street, Pablo’s Art Studio’s story started in 1993 as a creative response to the demand for better community support for marginalised communities. For over 30-years, Pablos has offered support to hundreds of Wellingtonians, using art therapy to provide emotional support and an identity-affirming safe space. Nikau Foundation was delighted to support a community outreach programme to palliative care patients at Mary Potter Hospice in Porirua.
Wellington-based, Ekta’s story started in 2017 when a small group of volunteers started to work alongside newly settled migrants from India. The aim was to educate them on all-things New Zealand and to provide opportunities for connection and inclusion. In 2020, as New Zealand locked down and many faced additional financial struggles and unemployment, Ekta ventured into building a food bank to support many in our communities.
Ted's Space is an initiative providing emotional support and pet therapy to positively enhance students' learning opportunities and engagement with their school, health and wellbeing. In early 2023, Nikau was delighted to provide a grant to support service delivery to help neurodiverse and neurotypical students to navigate life's challenges, gain confidence and build life skills.
Acknowledging the high volume of usable items that make their way to landfill, Porirua-based Freeforall makes sure that items find a good home with people who need them the most. Nikau Foundation was delighted to support Freeforall’s growth, providing a grant to support the General Manager’s salary.
Aiming to address the root cause of offending and make positive changes in the lives of young people, Te Kāhu Tiu Trust's community rehabilitation programmes connect young offenders to the land and address trauma from the inside out.
As it has for over 120-years, Compassion Soup Kitchen, which is based on Wellington’s Tory Street, is offering responsive, wrap-around support to people experiencing food insecurity. To ensure they could keep their six-day-a-week meal service running smoothly, they requested funding to upgrade their IT equipment; a project with which Nikau Foundation was delighted to assist.
For Kāpiti-based athletes, Cole Bailey and Louis Edwards, football is not just a sport; it is an opportunity to connect and feel a sense of belonging. After years of hard work and training, the two young men are heading to the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin to complete as part of the New Zealand Football Team.
Growing Places Charitable Trust has a mission to connect the community, bring nature into public spaces and create positive ecological outcomes. Its KETE - Kids Enhancing Tawa Ecosystems programme engages students in environmental projects, sowing the seed for a lifelong love of nature.
The Shift Foundation's story started when Founder, Fran McEwen, became aware of the many benefits of physical recreation for improved mental health. First piloted with the Wellington City Council, The Shift Foundation’s programmes aim to holistically improve young women’s wellbeing.
Founded 20 years ago by Artistic Director Nina Nawalowalo ONZM and Executive Producer Tom McCrory, The Conch Charitable Trust has created a platform for the telling of Pacific stories across the globe, presenting theatrical works at over 40 international festivals. In 2022, Nikau Foundation supported The Conch’s beautifully poignant production of A Boy Called Piano.
Founded in 2004, the Autism Intervention Trust has a mission to enable success for every child by supporting families with an autistic child in practical and positive ways. The Autism Intervention Trust sought funding to cover operational expenses to run their weekly gym classes, providing inclusive opportunities for fun and exploration.
Now in its 95th year, Wellington Free Ambulance is one of our region’s most well-known for-purpose organisations. With a goal to strengthen their storytelling, Wellington Free Ambulance undertook a GoodMeasure Report with local organisation, ImpactLab. Nikau Foundation was delighted to support.
With more and more individuals and families in need of a bit of extra help, it was important that Kāpiti Foodbank was able to find a permanent home. Thanks to hands-on help from the community and funding, this important hub was officially opened in September 2022.
Acknowledging a lack of services dedicated to upskilling older generations to use technology, Digital Seniors launched its services in 2018. Delivered from community hubs, in homes and online, these one-on-one services help older people to feel comfortable using a range of technology such as Zoom, online banking and apps.
Wellington-based theatre group, Silver Noodle Soup was established to provide performance and professional development opportunities for people who are neurodiverse or who are experiencing disability of some kind.
With a dedicated volunteer base of over 4500, Project Jonah is making waves with marine mammal rescue and kaitiaki for our coastline. Since 1974, they have become world leaders and innovators in marine mammal rescue science.
Almost 50 years since being established by Peter Button OBE QGM, Life Flight has completed over 40,000 missions nationwide, helping the community access the urgent medical care they need when there are minutes to spare. Nikau Foundation was delighted to help Life Flight purchase a new trailer, enabling safer and more efficient take-offs from their Lyall Bay HQ.
Painted in vivid orange and surrounded by the hum of friendly chatter, Orange Sky’s eye-catching vans provide a hub for practical support and connection for people doing it tough.
We were delighted to give out the first grant from the Nikau Wairarapa Fund to Yellow Brick Road; a wonderful organisation doing great mahi to provide local families with the support, tools and resources to help their loved ones on their road to recovery.
With a kaupapa to ensure that Māori language, knowledge and traditions stay alive, Te Rito o te Kura Charitable Trust has been conceptualising Ngāhere Kai (or 'Food Forest') for a while. As it grows, the Food Forest will offer many learning opportunities and will become a space where we can retain, practice and pass on knowledge from the land which embodies a Māori worldview
Māori and Pasifika youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than Pākehā. Faced with this statistic, youth development organisation, ZEAL launched an in-school culture and identity mentoring programme with an emphasis on suicide prevention.
Propelled by the collective passion of locals, volunteers and partners, Kāpiti-based not-for-profit, Energise Ōtaki Charitable Trust is helping locals to reduce their energy use, save money and decrease dependency on imported energy.
The result of many years of hard mahi, Le Malaga o Moanaroa hub has been opened in Porirua to support, inspire and connect youth. Nikau Foundation was delighted to collaborate with Wellington Community Trust and the Porirua Council to co-fund this incredible project.
By helping women to know their rights, achieve job and economic security, and ensure they can determine the course of their lives, we are taking small steps towards achieving gender equality in New Zealand. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate Hutt Valley-based organisation, Women of Worth, who are doing just that.
In response to global environmental threats, education organisation Mountains to Sea Wellington (MTSW) is taking things local to address human impacts on oceans and waterways. Through the implementation of four freshwater and marine education programmes, MTSW aim to inspire a sense of kaitiakitanga amonst the next generation.
Cycle Safe Porirua was launched to foster connectedness within the community while supporting health and wellbeing and creating a warm, welcoming environment for cycling.
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pukenga Whakaata is not only a space to encounter impressive works of art but a place to encounter the people and stories of our nation, past and present. With the help of Nikau Foundation funding, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery secured their lease at Shed 11.
