Ripples continue to grow from the Kaikōkiri Community Partners Hui.

As relationship-focussed funders, we recognise that our community partners are experts and leaders in their fields. By offering them opportunities to connect and learn from one another, we can witness the ripple effects of their work, creating impacts and changes that extend far beyond our own efforts.

We saw this play out in 2024, when we collaborated with our community partners and the J R McKenzie Trust to co-design a hui. The goal was to create a space for our kaikōkiri (leaders) in the systems change and community sector to connect with others on a similar journey and share insights on better serving their communities.

The co-design team hoped to generate momentum to create opportunities for building sustainable networks, foster indigenous and community storytelling, and formalise leadership pathways that strengthen communities.

The Kaikōkiri Community Partners Hui was held in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 14-15 October, with 35 community groups from the Todd Foundation and the J R McKenzie Trust attending. The hui included recognition of the city's history and people, reflection on its growth since the earthquakes, and discussion of various other challenges it has faced. We were reminded of our connection to Christchurch providing funds for the earthquake recovery in 2011, including a $1m youth-led grant that helped establish the 4C Centre right in the heart of the city.

The sessions over the two-day hui were designed in 'unconference style', allowing time for authentic engagement and deliberate network-building. Each day also included educational sessions, a highlight being a session on butterfly leadership by our Ōtautahi local community partners Leadership Lab.

Feedback from the community partners all mentioned the connections as a valuable takeaway from the hui. Tric Malcolm of Kore Hiakai said, "I see the new relationships and reconnecting with existing ones as an absolute win! Thank you for this opportunity — both to give feedback and to participate in the whole experience. I am grateful for the way both Todd and J R intentionally foster relationships, listen deeply, and strive to do philanthropy in ways that empower the kaupapa of those they fund."

The ripples we set in motion from the connections made between change makers at the hui are still growing wider and overlapping in ways we never imagined. One outcome was the formation of the Collective Change Aotearoa network group, which last month launched Hapori, a digital community space for systems changemakers to connect, share knowledge, and support each other.

Another ripple can be found in Access Matter’s Project Manager Juliana joining Inclusive Aotearoa’s Tāhono Media working group. Tāhono Media is a cross-sectoral group of advocates, working together to improve media representation for under-represented communities, and Juliana brings a strong accessibility voice to this diverse table. This is a lovely example of a connection bridging between the two host funders.

We hope to enable this event to take place again in 2026, ensuring we set in motion more ripples created by Kaikōkiri coming together in person.