Nau Mai, Haere Mai!
We have lots going on as usual, though only a few things ready to report below.
Hope this finds you well as we move through autumn.
Keeping the ‘right door’ open for survivors of sexual violence
Victim-survivors of sexual violence don’t want to talk about what’s happened to them, so it is critical they can safely tell their story once, and once only, to get the immediate help and ongoing support they need.
“The first door they knock on has to be the right door,” says Dr Kate Taylor, Trust Chair of the Midlands Sexual Assault Support Service (MSASS).
“Victim-Survivors don’t have the capacity to advocate for themselves, you can’t send them elsewhere, they won’t make a second call. Our service ensures they get support, without having to repeat themselves.”
The need for MSASS services is significant - sexual violence is much more prevalent than most people believe. The most recent New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey says that 78,000 adults, some 1.9% of the adult population, one in fifty, had been subjected to sexual violence in the last year.
The percentages are even higher for some population groups, particularly young women, and these numbers don’t include children and youth. The overall rate of victimhood is not believed to be growing but the numbers seeking help is steadily increasing.
“The numbers suggest there cannot be one person in this country who does not know someone affected, whether we’re aware of it or not,” says Simone Molenaar, the Chief Vision Officer at MSASS.
Empowering waahine in challenging times
From the Momentum Waikato Annual Report 2022 - see full report in PDF.
Waikato Women's Fund members celebrate its fourth birthday, July 2022.
The Waikato Women’s Fund exists to empower the region’s women and girls to realise their dreams and aspirations.
The Fund’s voluntary committee is achieving this vision by raising money to invest with Momentum Waikato and then making grants from the resulting income, through driving activities that showcase the power and beauty of women and girls and their communities.
Waikato Women's Fund members celebrate its fourth birthday, July 2022.
The Women’s Fund grant-making focus for 2021 was ‘Leadership and Wellbeing Resilience’.
Following a robust nomination and voting process involving the Fund’s 100+ donating members in the second half of that year, grants of $5000 each were made to the Flourish Leadership Development for Ethnic Women programme run by the Hamilton Multicultural Services Trust, and Te Hinatore programme run by Anglican Action.
Then 2022 was very busy as the Fund’s members got into the swing of the ‘new norm’ with work and business. The year started with seven new members joining the committee, as several of the original establishment committee members had completed their three-year term of voluntary service.
Also - read WWF '2023 Strategy' blog post.
Meet the Momentum Waikato Trustees
A number of our trustees' profiles and photos were update recently for our Annual Report.
To find out more about each of them visit 'Our People'.
Community Foundations and the NZ funding landscape
by Eleanor Cater of Community Foundations of New Zealand
We often get asked how community funding in Aotearoa NZ works, and it’s easy to see why, it’s complex.
Much of it is regionally based, with a funding landscape comprised of local community trusts and energy trusts (both of which are unique to Aotearoa), private family foundations (such as The Tindall Foundation, Todd Foundation and JR Mckenzie Trust), corporate foundations (such as Te Rourou One Aotearoa Foundation and The Spark Foundation), commercial operators (such as Perpetual Guardian and Public Trust), statutory trusts including gaming trusts (such as The Lion Foundation, Pub Charity and NZCT, distributing proceeds from gaming machines), as well as local and central Government (including the Lotteries Grants Board and Community Organisation Grants Scheme).
Each of these funders have a different focus, many are regionally focused, and most have specific visions or strategies to achieve change across Aotearoa NZ. They each occupy a specific regional or strategic niche and, increasingly, they collaborate with one another to achieve common aims.
We also have a growing network of 17 local Community Foundations, which are based on a successful model of place-based philanthropy. So, where do they fit in?