http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.toddfoundation.org.nz en-us Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:13:41 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/158115/get-to-know-our-community-partners--te-hiko-centre-for-community-innovation/ On any given day, Wesley House in Cannons Creek is a hive of activity even before the sun rises. There, visitors can participate in various programs, like the fruit and veggie co-op, where community members play a vital role in preparing and distributing food. Community members engage in activities such as composting, seedling groups, and volunteering at the food bank. The house also serves as a hub for meetings, hosting financial literacy courses and savings pool meetings.Since the 1990s, Wesle... Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:12:17 +1300 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post158115 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/151943/voyce-whakarongo-mai-bringing-joy-and-a-sense-of-connection-to-children-in-care/ Since 2017, VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai have provided advocacy and connection services for the children of New Zealand in state care, as well as those who have transitioned out of care. The Todd Foundation has been involved with VOYCE since its beginning,  (alongside Tindall Foundation, Foundation North and Te Rourou - previously Vodafone Foundation) and the organisation was co-designed by children with care experience for children with care experience.Gabriella Guy – head of the Insigh... Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:04:58 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post151943 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/149837/reflections-from-lee-cooper-meaningful-philanthropy-requires-a-multitude-of-components/ At our board meeting in May we bade farewell to Lee Cooper, one of our independent trustees and representative of the Council of Trade Unions (CTU). Lee served as a trustee for a total of ten years, starting as an alternate for the first two years and then serving as a board member for the following eight. We asked Lee to reflect on his time with the Todd Foundation and what it meant to him.Lee Cooper:Reflecting on my first board meeting on 19 May 2015, I felt both resolute and committed. With p... Mon, 04 Aug 2025 08:31:51 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post149837 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/147751/inclusive-aotearoa-tahono-building-belonging/ It’s been six years since the Mosque attacks in Christchurch in March of 2019 which horrified the nation and solidified for Anjum Rahman that there needed to be a better way for fighting racism and discrimination.At that time, organisations and projects committed to combating hate in all its forms existed all around the country, but they were siloed in their areas of advocacy and there was no structure to share learning about effective approaches to countering prejudice. Most importantly, ther... Thu, 26 Jun 2025 14:35:42 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post147751 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/146758/ripples-continue-to-grow-from-the-kaikokiri-community-partners-hui/ 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... Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:39:56 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post146758 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/146757/sharing-our-funding-practise-responding-to-a-shifting-landscape/ In 2018, the Todd Foundation stopped having contestable funding rounds.We made a bold shift to fund pro actively, meaning staff now spend their time seeking things to fund that connect to achieving our strategy. This has meant larger grants to fewer groups and prioritisation of high-trust, longer-term relationships when it comes to how we fund.But this shift didn’t mean we stopped responding to community needs when they arose. In fact, staying connected to what’s important and changing in Ao... Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:20:06 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post146757 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/146485/deca-getting-online-to-help-our-rangatahi-get-ahead/ An internet connection is something many of us take for granted, but for 130,000 households without internet access, being excluded from the digital world is a very real problem. Nearly everything required to be included in society today is online – applying for jobs, participating in education and accessing government services – these are just some things that are hard to do without an internet connection and access to technology.The Todd Foundation has supported the Digital Equity Coalitio... Mon, 09 Jun 2025 09:53:13 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post146485 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/128302/sharing-our-funding-practice-action-funding/ Through our ‘Change’ funding stream, The Todd Foundation supports communities to tackle some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most pressing social issues, such as housing, digital equity, food resilience, and diversity and inclusion.Our community partners tell us that sustained funding is key to achieving their mission. The issues they are trying to shift require a long-term focus so we offer flexible, untagged, multi-year funding where we can – alongside other funders.We’ve observed that our... Tue, 14 May 2024 14:21:37 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post128302 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/128301/inspiring-communities-long-term-funding-with-relationships-at-its-heart/ After more than 15 years of working together, the Todd Foundation and long-time community partner Inspiring Communities have developed a relationship based on shared learning and mutual respect that has seen both organisations change the way they work.When Todd first started funding Inspiring Communities in 2008 both were committed to the concept of community-led development and the importance of allowing communities to use their knowledge to create local solutions to local situations. But they ... Tue, 14 May 2024 14:06:23 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post128301 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/post/128300/pasifika-funders-network-working-collaboratively-to-make-philanthropy-more-equitable-and-pasifika-friendly/ What began as a handful of Pasifika individuals looking to connect with others working in the philanthropic sector has grown into a nationwide network of more than 30 people advocating for greater visibility and more equitable funding for Pasifika groups and organisations.“We’d get together and talk about our frustrations with the sector, why our communities weren’t being better supported and why they were not being seen,” says Hainoame Fulivai, co-founder of the Pasifika Funders Network... Tue, 14 May 2024 14:01:07 +1200 http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/blog/#post128300