December 2023: New Kaikōkiri Announced
The J R McKenzie Trust is pleased to announce its most recent funding recipients as follows:
Te Kawa o Rongo
$120,000
Te Kawa o Rongo is a charitable trust aimed at mentoring at-risk Māori boys aged between 10-17 years in the Taranaki region. Its purpose is to empower these young boys by bringing them into a marae setting, reconnecting them to their cultural identity, and utilising passionate and positive male Māori role models to teach them about leadership and making good decisions.
This funding will support the delivery of six wananga per year with the aim of empowering these boys to be the next generation of leaders in their communities, and within their own whānau.
Taro Patch Creative Limited
$200,000
Taro Patch Creative is an organisation operating in the arts and screen industry, providing a vā/space for holistic support systems for South Auckland Māori and Pasifika creatives and grassroots communities to access opportunities for creative experiences.
This funding will support Tale Loto Fale: Nurturing Cultural Brilliance and Empowering Our Community, an initiative designed to empower indigenous communities, enrich cultural heritage, promote inclusivity in the creative sector, and advocate for systemic changes.
Gender Minorities Aotearoa
$71,857
Gender Minorities Aotearoa is a nationwide transgender organisation based in Wellington. It is run by and for transgender people; including binary and non-binary, intersex, and irawhiti takatāpui. Its aim is to facilitate physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing for transgender populations.
This funding will support a dedicated cross-regional transgender support service which will provide support and information to enable self-advocacy and improve transgender people’s access to basic life needs e.g., healthcare, housing, employment, education, family violence and sexual violence prevention, and discrimination and human rights.
West Auckland Pasifika Forum Community Trust
$150,000
West Auckland Pasifika Forum Community Trust (WAPF) aims to strengthen and support Pasifika communities in West Auckland to flourish through empowering leadership by providing culturally enhanced environments and practices, advocating for equitable outcomes, and supporting Pasifika to navigate systems in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This funding will support the PPF Impact Forums - The "what IF" project which has a purpose to create a safe space for groups (Past, Present, Future) that represent different perspectives/generations to discuss important issues in the community and possible solutions. This model will focus on design thinking principles that work with the audience (Pasifika) to solve the issues that affect them.
Access Matters Aotearoa Trust
$80,000
Access Matters Aotearoa Trust leads a social change campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand to improve the outcomes and participation of disabled people and people with other access needs. Its goal is to demonstrate why legislation with a barrier reporting system, accessibility standards, a regulator, and a dispute resolution system to remove barriers that exclude over 1.1 million New Zealanders, is needed.
This funding will support Kōrero for Change – Inclusion in Action: Advancing Accessibility in New Zealand. This initiative consists of organising seven online panel discussions, themed around a key area where individuals encounter disabling experiences, i.e., housing, employment, transport, education, media, digital and information systems, and emergency response. Some of the goals include increasing awareness and understanding of ableism, its impact on disabled individuals, and the need for inclusivity, and influencing policy changes and institutional reform.
$50,000
Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae is an urban marae in the heart of Māngere with a huge vision, drive, and determination to recover what has been lost to iwi Māori for many generations: self-sustaining Māori communities and life in the wellbeing of Māori whānau across Tāmaki Makaurau. It seeks to nurture taha tinana (physical health), taha wairua (spiritual health), taha whānau (family health), and taha hinengaro (mental health).
This funding will support Papatūānuku Kokiri Marae Koha Café, an innovative initiative which aims to enhance the wellbeing of the community and to provide equitable access to healthy, nutritious, and affordable kai. It will provide opportunities for local rangatahi to be trained in hospitality and culinary skills and provide pathways to employment; and offer cooking classes to upskill and empower the community to eat well and achieve better health and economic outcomes