Kindness Collective Named 2023 Community Of The Year

‘Matchmaking agency’ connecting those in need with those who have more to share honoured at 2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards

Spreading kindness, by connecting children and families with the things they need, saw charitable organisation Kindness Collective named Mitre 10 Community of the Year Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau, in the 2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards in Auckland last night.

Founded by Sarah and Dave Page in 2014, Kindness Collective has grown from a small, behind-the-scenes group of friends and family to a network of over 40,000 people – donors, volunteers, followers, brands and businesses all working together to build a kinder Aotearoa.

At its heart, Kindness Collective operates as a match-making agency, matching those in need with those who have more to share, donating time, tools, resources and money to Kiwi in need.

The range of projects Kindness Collective undertakes is broad, from its Christmas Joy Store that provided Christmas toys to thousands of kids across Aotearoa, to building community gardens to help address food insecurity. They channel donated food, bedding, household and toiletry items directly to families who need them. Its PJ Project provides warm winter PJs to kids from Kaitaia to Queenstown, and everywhere in between.

Accepting the award from Mitre 10 CEO Andrea Scown last night, Sarah Page spoke of the collective’s belief that kindness is not just a “nice fluffy word”:

“We’re a community of people, volunteers, businesses, funders, donors, and we’re also a community of social workers, refuge leaders, police, nurses, teachers, and we’re all working really hard every day to reduce inequities as much as we can in our little corner of Aotearoa.”

Kindness Collective (https://www.kindness.co.nz/) was one of three finalists, alongside Achieving @ Waitakere Charitable Trust and Pathway Charitable Group, leading change and making a difference.

Mitre 10 New Zealand CEO Andrea Scown says:

“Huge congratulations to Kindness Collective and to all the finalists and semi-finalists. Thank you for all that you do.

“This award is very dear to our hearts at Mitre 10. The Community of the Year Award Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau celebrates the hard mahi, courage, and determination of groups and communities making a difference and leading change. Their remarkable efforts and commitment to better outcomes for Aotearoa are inspiring and we thank them all.”

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