MEDIA ALERT – MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER, 5.00PM – NELSON DONATIONS FUNCTION, SAXTON OVAL LOUNGE, 142 SAXTON ROAD

CANTERBURY COMMUNITY TRUST ANNOUNCES $5.1 MILLION DONATIONS HIGHEST ON RECORD

Today (Monday 24) at 5.00pm the Canterbury Community Trust will announce $5.1 million in donations approvals for Nelson/Tasman region for the year ending 31 March 2014. This is the highest level of approved donations in its 26 year history.

A record $5.1 million into the Nelson/Tasman region over the 2013 – 2014 financial year demonstrates the Canterbury Community Trust’s continuing commitment to support the Nelson community now and into the future.

The $5.1 million brings the total of donations over the last 26 years to $56.2 million for the Nelson/Tasman region.

The Annual Nelson Donations function will also review some of the exciting initiatives and partnerships The Trust has formed around its $5.1 million regional fund along with its new strategic vision for the future, highlighting some of the ways it will approach funding in the future e.g. new accord with the Families Commission to assist with evidence based granting.

Interview and photo opportunities by arrangement today (before 12.45pm) and from 4.30pm onwards or through attendance at the function:

Bill Dahlberg and Sarah-Jane Weir, Nelson Trustees, Canterbury Community Trust

Louise Edwards, Chief Executive, Canterbury Community Trust

Media Information

Copies of speeches from the Nelson Trustee Sarah-Jane Weir and Chief Executive, Louise Edwards and are attached, along with the Donations list be available on request.

TCCT_Donations_List.pdf

Sarah-Jane Weir

Good evening. It is my pleasure to welcome you to The Canterbury Community Trust’s annual Nelson Donations Function. I am Sarah-Jane Weir and I have the privilege of being one of the Nelson trustees of The Canterbury Community Trust Board of Trustees. I’m relatively new to the Trust having been appointed six months ago. I’m speaking on behalf of our Chair Jill Spooner, who unfortunately couldn’t be with us tonight.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge a few people:

• Our Chief Executive Louise Edwards. She and her team are a dedicated group. Their involvement with the Community Trust extends beyond being a job to them – it is an opportunity to make a real contribution to the communities that we serve and I value their support and their willingness to go the extra mile. The work they do on a daily basis and their commitment to connecting with the community and making a difference is integral to our success.

• The role of the Trustees is paramount in the establishment and achievement of the Trust’s strategic objectives and vision. This group of people take great pride in their role and commit many hours to the many facets that make up the role of Trustee for our organisation.

• Our retiring Trustees Alec Neill, Joseph Thomas, Brian Moore, and your own Nelson representative Max Spence – deserve recognition for their collective dedication to the cause over their years of service.

• Finally, and importantly. My fellow Trustees and I are reminded every day of the inspiring people who work tirelessly across our four funding regions (Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and the Chathams), many of whom are unpaid volunteers, people whose heart is in the community – without their hard work and sacrifice our funding could not have the positive impact that it has. Many of you are such people. Thank You.

We have recently released our 2014 Annual Report. In an attempt to reduce our carbon footprint and increase efficiencies we have produced the Annual Report as an e-flip book this year, along with the financials and donations lists. We encourage you to visit our website – www.commtrust.org.nz – to view or download it.

In presenting the accounts it is important to note the Canterbury Community Trust receives no income from other funders, endowments or gaming machines. This differentiates it from the region’s other philanthropic organisations. The money received back in the 80s and 90s from the sale of the Canterbury Savings Bank has been invested on behalf of the community and is administered by the Trust, on behalf of the community.

In 1988 the starting capital base of the Trust was $32 million or equivalent to $57 for every man, women and child throughout our four funding regions of Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and the Chatham Islands. At the end of our 2013/2014 financial year the capital base was more than $515 million or equivalent to $857 for every man, woman and child.

Over the last 26 years the Trust has assisted many organisations through donations totalling $371 million to help communities in need. In the last year we have through regular sector funding and our one-off $25 million special fund donated $37 million.

I would like to concentrate on three key aspects of the Trust’s finances; investment income, donations and Trust Funds.

In the area of investment income I am pleased to report we exceeded our targeted return generating a solid 5.6% return for the year, in line with the Trust’s long term investment objective of 4% per annum, after inflation and expenses. This has enabled us to comfortably achieve our donations objectives.

This bottom-line result was assisted by a strong performance across our equities portfolio, with both global and New Zealand and Australian shares contributing to the majority of our income. New Zealand shares in particular were one of the best performing assets classes over the period, returning 28%. In this regard it is very pleasing our funds have in the year under review outperformed market benchmarks and achieved solid returns better than market.

With respect to our donations the Trustees have had to make some difficult decisions. In setting our donations budget it is a trade-off between not overspending and jeopardising the pool of money available to future generations of our four funding regions against the desire to hold onto more funds to safeguard against the proverbial rainy day and in doing so not being able to meet all the current needs of the community. This is a very real dilemma when you consider that we’ve weathered a global financial crisis, along with the devastating affects of the earthquakes. The Trust has been impacted by these events, alongside the community.

It is a constant balancing act for the Trustees to maintain donations at a level in line with budget, at a prudent level to support today’s needs. Being transparent and managing the community’s expectations around donations levels is and continues to be a focus for the Trust. The Trust is unusual in that as most organisations strive to grow bigger and bigger, our objective is to maintain the real value of the Trust, while giving away as much as is prudently possible.

As we look back over the Trust’s year being involved in the distribution of Trust’s $25 million Special Fund has been a highlight. For only the first time in our history we used money from our capital reserves to create a one-off fund to assist with the social and economic impact of the earthquakes in Canterbury. We consulted widely to ensure we had a focus on where the real need in communities was and where and how we could deliver the most impact – nearly four years on we are still continuing with that work.

As part of the Special Fund, a $5.1 million dollar Regional Fund was created, made up of $3.35 million for Nelson, $1.74 million for Marlborough/Kaikoura and $100,000 for the Chatham Islands. The Regional Fund was established in recognition of the fact that all of the Trust’s funding regions have been affected by the Canterbury earthquakes to some degree.

The Regional Fund was specifically designed to be put towards projects that support the community, strengthen significant historic buildings or assist people who have moved into areas after the earthquake and ease the burden for the community they have been absorbed into.

There are many wonderful examples in the Nelson region of how that money has been put to good use – the Saxton Oval, our amazing venue tonight, the Suter Gallery, the Nelson School of Music, the All Saints Church, the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary, the Moutere Hills Community project and the Nelson Tasman Cycle trail are all facilities and projects that will not only benefit current generations but future generations – creating a lasting legacy for the Nelson/Tasman region.

We provided funding over the last year to 276 groups across the region and although all of these projects and the organisations are worthy of a mention, sadly they are too numerous to list here tonight.

One project that I know is very close to the heart of my fellow Nelson trustee, Bill and that he is understandably very proud of is our partnership in the Warmer Healthier Homes project. This project, which was announced in August, is a partnership between the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, Nelson Bays Primary Health and The Canterbury Community Trust and aims to insulate around 300 homes in the region over the next two years. This is a project which is not only unique but will have a huge impact on the health of Nelsonians, as well as providing economic benefits through reduced health care costs, energy efficiency and more productivity.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our retiring Trustee Max Spence – he was instrumental in getting this project up and running along with many more that have and will enrich the lives of those that call Nelson/Tasman home.

We are pleased to announce tonight that donation approvals across all of our funding regions for the year ending 31 March 2014 were the highest in the Trust’s history, at $37 million. This is a real achievement given the circumstances we have been working in.

In Nelson, The Trust approved donations which totalled a record level of $5.1 million, demonstrating our continuing commitment to support your community, now, and into the future. The $5.1 million brings the total of donations over the last 26 years to over $56 million in your region.

All of our funding sectors over the past financial year were over-subscribed – in 2013/2014 with a regular donations budget of just over $18 million, we had, across all our sectors well over double that requested in applications. Managing expectations around funding has never been more important.

I am also pleased to report after a period of consolidation post the global financial crisis the Trust funds are looking healthy, particularly considering the distribution of the Special Fund. We have had great success with our investment markets. They have continued to perform well since the start of our new financial year, so our accumulated income reserve has recovered, so that we now have accumulated income in reserve to better cope with any unforeseen market downturns or low returns.

Beyond those three key aspects of our overall financial position we have a fourth, some might say bonus, aspect – our total assets are at the highest level in over six years since before the global financial crisis. Today they sit at $544 million.

The Trustees are forever mindful the Trust is simply the guardian of your money – the communities’ money – for current and future generations and as such work tirelessly to ensure they are continually investing wisely, preserving and growing the Trust’s capital while balancing those outcomes against the real need of the community.

There is much to be positive about – overall the Trust’s finances are in good health, investment income continues to perform strongly, our donations remain in line with budget and our Trust funds have recovered to accumulate income reserves. As we meet to review the past 12 months I can assure you, we are planning for the future. The Trustees have been working on new Strategic Vision which will provide a touchstone for our business planning, decision-making, investing and grant-making and we look forward to delivering on this vision.

I will finish with these words from leading Harvard professor Michael Porter “Sound strategy starts with having the right goal” – the Trust’s goal is a healthy, connected and prosperous community.

It is with that goal foremost in our minds that I tell you tonight, particularly, is about us all having the opportunity to interact, to talk and share ideas – that will help our organisation improve the way we communicate with our stakeholders and help us understand better the kind of support you need. Please do take this opportunity to share with us, your ideas for a brighter future for the Trust and the Nelson/Tasman region and your community.

Thank you.

Louise Edwards

Louise Edwards - speech

Tena koutou, Tena koutou, Tena kotu katoa. My name is Louise Edwards and I’m Chief Executive of the Canterbury Community Trust. I’m excited to have this opportunity to relive with you the year under review and have the opportunity to thank all of you who work in the Nelson/Tasman regions every day, tirelessly in the pursuit of the betterment of your community.

I would like to take a brief moment to acknowledge those who work with such passion, dedication, empathy on behalf of the stakeholders of the Trust:

Our Chair Jill Spooner and her fellow trustees put their heart and soul into the pursuit of excellence on a daily basis. Their combined expertise, dedication and support make my job and that of my team so much easier. I would particularly like to acknowledge our retiring trustees Alec Neill, Joseph Thomas and Brian Moore – their wisdom and constant support has left an indelible mark on the Trust. Our retiring Nelson Trustee Max Spence has lived and breathed the Nelson community through his tenure and his insight into the region’s needs and identifying priorities has been invaluable.

I would also like to welcome our four new Trustees – Tracey Berry, Sarah-Jane Weir, Tony de Reeper and Tony Fakahau – you have taken on a big job but you have already illustrated to us all your dedication and passion for the tasks ahead. It is wonderful to have Sarah-Jane here in her capacity as a new Trustee giving her ‘maiden’ speech on behalf of the Trustees to you all tonight.

The staff of the Trust – our Donations Manager Karyn McLeod and Senior Donations Advisor Nicki Swift are here tonight and I encourage as many of you as possible to meet them and help them to understand your needs and how we can best help you – are a remarkable group. This is a group of people who never fail to exceed my expectations and I am always impressed with their drive and passion to “do more” for our stakeholders.

In the past year we have had some changes to the team but as sad as we are to lose good people, we have also been excited to welcome new people into our organisation who have brought with them a fresh perspective and passion to their respective roles.

Being Nelson born and bred I feel a personal affinity for this region and as such take a keen interest in all the new projects presented to us. Nelson, for me encapsulates not only art and culture but a love of the environment and a real sense of community and home.

Sarah-Jane has spoken about the Regional Fund and what it means for the Nelson/Tasman region. The Trust has a proud history of supporting the wider Nelson region – with more than $56.2 million invested in the area since the Trust was established in 1988.

This wonderful venue we are at tonight is testament to what can be achieved when groups work together towards a common purpose. The Saxton Oval has truly achieved its vision of acting as a hub; a focal point of activity reaching not only sporting codes but also providing a recreational hub for the community. The facilities are state of the art and testament to is the fact that three matches will be hosted here during the 2015 World Cricket Cup - a double-whammy for the Trust as we are also funding the Cup.

Our recent funding towards the Moutere Hills Community Club to assist with the upgrade of their facilities and the provision of a club co-ordinator is a positive example of where we can help when the need is greatest. The club services not only its local sporting club, but also provides a base for other groups and the general community. Based in a rural area the resources and volunteers of the sports clubs are stretched. The Club has also lived through two devastating fires at the facility. The upgrade will allow Moutere Hills the opportunity to continue to cater for its community into the future.

Partnering with groups in the community and being a catalyst for new initiatives at the grassroots level are key drivers for the Trust. This project, alongside a myriad of other diverse projects happening in your region, will provide a lasting legacy and provide positive outcomes for current and future Nelson generations. This is why we love coming to work and doing what we do.

These are but two examples of funding on a larger scale but we have noticed all kinds of innovative and exciting initiatives at grassroots level through our various funding sectors coming out of Nelson.

J A Perez, the Cuban humanitarian and author says it best when he says “Collaboration is about ‘team work’. It’s not a cliché, it’s a practical reality.” Collaboration really is at the heart of everything we do and to make real and sustainable change we all have to work together. This is definitely the theme of this year’s annual report and the short-film you viewed earlier. Our plan for the future is to keep extending the film to take in aspects of the work we do across all four funding regions. We want to celebrate the groups we work with and the partnerships we have forged.

It is an increasingly challenging time for many community organisations, the demand and competition for funds is soaring yet for most communities, Trusts and philanthropic organisations, the size of the pot remains the same.

Over the financial year in review we funded $37 million across our four funding regions – no small amount, but not enough alone to make sustainable change given the depth of need within our communities. Working together in partnership with organisations to make the money go further and deliver more impact is the only way forward.

Managing expectations around funding has never been more important. One way we can achieve this is by using research to evaluate need and inform our decision-making so that the money goes where it most needed. We recently signed an accord with the Families Commission/Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (FC/SuPERU) to formalise our intention to work together to increase the use of evidence in the Trust’s grant making processes with particular emphasis on the social services sector.

We are looking forward to working more closely with the Families Commission and drawing on their expertise.

We are now actively looking to form partnerships and collaborate with organisations like the Families Commission, tapping into their research so that we as a primary funder in Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and the Chatham Islands, can identify where the gaps are and optimise the impact we make through our funding.

We have also taken steps internally to ensure that we have the resource to gear our grant-making process towards evidence based decision making, rather than reactive funding. We have recently appointed a researcher to our team, a role that will add value across all of our funding sectors and fulfill the Trust’s strong desire to be more effective and efficient in serving our communities.

In managing expectations we need to be transparent and keep our stakeholders well informed around any circumstances that will result in changes to funding. For instance, in line with our strategic vision to ensure that we invest wisely in our communities, build community capability and ensure that we optimize the community impact with the donations that we provide we have been considering our future funding priorities in the Sport and Recreations sector. To support these considerations we commissioned research to identify the current trends and future needs of the sector within our funding regions.

The research did illustrate that we cannot apply a ‘one size fits all’ model but did define our priorities going forward for this sector. We will be looking at funding organizations and projects that aim to increase participation and engagement in the community; can demonstrate positive and social health benefits for the community; recognizes the diversity of our communities; are working with strong collaboration principles within the sport sector or other organisations within their community; are focused around unstructured sporting and recreational activities and are able to demonstrate strong community and social outcomes and aim to enhance the capacity of entities working within this area.

We acknowledge that this will be a period of transition and we will be working closely with our stakeholders to be transparent and communicate at all levels around any proposed changes.

In tandem with the Board’s work on our updated strategic plan and vision, we have been looking closely at how we communicate with our stakeholders. Part of that process is looking at the current structure and format of our website and embracing that new but powerful medium of communication known as social media.

We want to provide you with a platform that keeps you up to date with our news – funding sector closing dates, sector trends, new partnerships, research outcomes and provide a very real conduit for proactive feedback and interaction at all levels. So watch this space – we are working hard to develop a communications platform that will not only keep you informed but will engage you.

Since our inception in 1988 we’ve met and faced many challenges. There has also been much change and some of those changes have been milestones – like our $25 million Special Fund launched last year. Some have been seemingly smaller but have been specifically designed to improve our communication and make it easier for our stakeholders to interact with us and free them up to get on with their day to day operations.
One such innovation is our online application process – since we introduced it last year over 550 organisations have applied online for funds. We’re continually looking for ways to fine-tune this process and as always welcome your feedback. We would like to see by the end of next year at least 85 to 90 percent of our applicants applying to us online.

The Trust will continue to strive to work hard on behalf of its stakeholders – not just to provide funds but to help the organisations we work with navigate the challenging world we live in. This is why we put such an emphasis on the potential of collaboration models and social enterprise to help support our stakeholders and secure revenue streams for the future and advocate for positive change, that is not only sustainable but will stand the test of time.

I will leave you with this quote from Helen Keller – “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Thank you.

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