Wakatipu Community Foundation

Such a pleasure to be able to support the Kate Moetaua Foundation in making these awards. Congratulations to all the recipients and we wish you all the very best as you pursue your dreams.

🎁This Christmas, give a gift that just keeps giving. 🎁 Have you considered gifting a donation through your local community foundation? Our smarter giving model means that your gift will be invested to grow and make an ongoing difference in your community year after year. Just like the 12 days of Christmas, we currently have twelve community endowment funds to donate to supporting arts and culture, sustainability, the environment, recreation, community wellbeing and our local youth. Donate yourself to a cause you care about, or purchase a gift voucher for someone else at https://bit.ly/3wrf4zH No sticky tape, no plastic bows, just a gift with a lot of heart. 🎄Happiness House, Queenstown Trails, Bruce Grant Trust, Love Queenstown, Les Hutchins Conservation Trust, Ed Cruikshank Creative Arts Fund, Matt's Good Walk, Whakatipu Youth Golf Development Fund, WCF Greatest Needs Fund, Wakatipu High School Foundation Fund, Kate Moetaua Foundation, Flynn Dawson Foundation. 🎄

Inspirational Young Women: Girls who Grow Aotearoa New Zealand won the Rising Star award at our recent Spirit of the Wakatipu Awards. This award, sponsored by Mountain Club showcases our talented youth in the Wakatipu. Today we had the pleasure of hearing these inspirational young women from Wakatipu High School, who were joined by a team from Mt Aspiring College, present their projects which seek to address challenges facing the agricultural sector. We saw a low cost water pump which can better capture and use rainwater on farms, a natural fish based farm fertiliser in pellets and the potential of tagasaste (tree lucerne) to improve soil health and drought resistance. But what was most impressive was the smart, future focused, problem solving young women who researched, designed and presented their projects so articulately. They are ones to watch and very deserving winners of the Rising Star award. Ellie Kerr, Lucy Boniface, Lucy Thompson and Manuella Sanches Pedrosa. Lake Hāwea Station Catherine van der Meulen Juliana Fullerton-Smith #community #Connection #Spiritofthewakatipu2024

Congratulations to our trustee and deputy chair Joan Kiernan for being a finalist in the Inspirational Women Awards Entrepreneurial Women Category. It was a room choc full of inspiring women including Theresa Gattung DNZM, Victoria Crockford, Tracey Roxburgh, Louisa Patterson, Heidi Renata, Dr Assil Russell, Juanita Willems, Carmen Doran, Carol Morgan, Anna Dorsey, Anna Wang, Olivia Wensley, Karen Hattaway of course uber-organiser and local campaigner against domestic violence Julia Strelou. Great to see our WCF family also supporting such a great cause from our staff, Eunice Borrie and Clare Irons to trustees Stephen Brent and Joan Kiernan, and some of our ambassadors Jim Boult CNZM, Karen Boult and Sharon Fifield. Dame Theresa Gatting spoke about the learnings in her life as well as touching on a theme that is close to our hearts - the power of collective energy. Thanks Julia for organising such an empowering event - we all left with (sadly) a better understanding of the shocking prevalence of domestic violence in NZ and the work our local agencies like Central Lakes Family Services do to support victims. It was fantastic to hear that we now have safe nights available in the Whakatipu.

🎲🌟 We're on the Board! 🌟🎲 WCF are in the new Queenstown Monopoly game from Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce! This iconic game now celebrates the heart of our vibrant community, and we’re honored to be a part of it. Playing Monopoly just got even more meaningful, with local landmarks and organizations taking center stage. You'll find us in the Community Chest cards - right where we should be as we build WCF funds into a major community asset with your help. Grab your copy here (bit.ly/3Orzr5o), roll the dice, and let’s make an impact—both on the board and in our community! #QueenstownMonopoly #Community #leaveaLegacy #commnityfoundations

The Wakatipu Community Foundation is thrilled to welcome Vanessa van Uden ONZM as our newest trustee! Vanessa, a former Queenstown Lakes Mayor and longtime community champion, brings an incredible depth of leadership experience, local knowledge, and a passion for making a difference in the Whakatipu region. Vanessa chairs a number of local charities including Pivotal Point, Shaping our Future, Queenstown Lakes Baby Box, Remarkable Cancer Gym, and the Louise Nicholas Charitable Trusts as well as being Patron of Branches Trust. Her dedication to community wellbeing and growth aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are so excited about the impact her knowledge will bring to our work. Please join us in giving Vanessa a warm welcome! You can read her full bio here https://bit.ly/3OrGn2q or connect with her at Vanessa van Uden #community #communityfoundations #leavealegacy #timetalentandtreasure

Celebrating Excellence and Opportunity! On Friday, 15th November, we came together to recognize and support some truly inspiring youth at our Scholarship Event. As our scholarship portfolio grows, so does our event with a record 21 students being recognised this year. We proudly awarded or recognised: 🌟 Kate Moetaua Scholarships – Honoring Kate’s legacy by awarding scholarships to those following their dreams in sports and arts. 🌟 WCF Community Youth Scholarship – Supporting our local youth who have an impressive record of giving back to our community 🌟 Bruce Grant Trust Scholarships – Celebrating adventurous spirit and resilience among our youth in sports and culture. 🌟 Whakatipu Junior Golf Development Fund – Encouraging the next generation of golfing champions, especially our Wakatipu High School Golf team A huge congratulations to all the recipients who continue to inspire us with their passion, dedication, and ambition. We can’t wait to see what you achieve next! 💫 Thank you to all our donors who have made these opportunities possible. Together, we’re creating a legacy for the Wakatipu. #CelebratingExcellence #CommunitySupport #YouthEmpowerment Craigs Investment Partners Wakatipu High School Anika Moetaua

Sharing the magic that was the Gibbston Valley Spirit of the Wakatipu Awards and Gala last month. With the theme of Dream Big, we honoured those who have a dream about how our community could be, and work to make this happen. 💜 💜 Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors, our nominees and award winners for all the ways you support our Whakatipu community, and our event partners and entertainers who brought the event alive and provided all the sparkles. All the photos are on our website to share https://bit.ly/3UPL5uL- thanks Jackie from Stillvision Photography - and thanks to David Oakley for the video and production. If we can help you with your legacy, we would love to chat. Mountain Club Mountain Scene Queenstown Lakes District Council Queenstown Airport (ZQN) SkyCity Entertainment Group Skyline Queenstown Jarden Wealth Brannigans Eichardt's Private Hotel PowerNet Craigs Investment Partners Deloitte Walker and Co Realty Findex Jill Brinsdon Duncan Cotterill Matthew Rose Simon Green Cristina Griffith, CPA Stephen Brent Glyn Lewers Liger Leadership Academy New Zealand Catherine van der Meulen Charlie Phillips Vanessa van Uden Julia Strelou Craig (Ferg) Ferguson Turn Up The Music Charitable Trust Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand Jennifer Belmont

It was wonderful to join with Turn Up The Music Charitable Trust as they celebrated their sixth year! Started by Emma Wilson (a recent Spirit of the Wakatipu Award Winner) and Alison Price, Turn up the Music now provides lessons for about 300 local children each week (wow). A number of these receive scholarships from the Trust. Hearing the children speak about how music challenges them, and the sense of achievement they have as they master a new piece shows the positive impact learning music can have on our youth. Thanks to the talented musicians - including the amazing hula-huping violinist! Who knew that was possible??

How do you really celebrate a fifth birthday? You give away $201,000 to local causes to build legacy projects in your community. We were honoured to join our womens giving circle Impact100 Wakatipu to celebrate their fifth birthday last night where they awarded two grants of $100,500 to Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust and Whakatipu Rowing Club. The Southern Lakes Sanctuary funds will be used to protect the takahe which are planned to be released into the Rees Valley in early 2025, following the success of the release into the Greenstone Valley in 2023. The funds will be used to build a turk (outback hut) and to help with ongoing monitoring and pest eradication work. Whakatipu Rowing Club are replacing their current space (which is really just a large shed) and creating a new community asset on the shores of Lake Hayes. The new building will include community meeting rooms, showers and bathrooms, training facilities and boat storage for the club and other water sports. The vision for this building is that it will become home for those who use the lake, and those who are working hard to restore the water quality of Lake Hayes. Our congratulations to the award recipients, and to all the donors to Impact100. Awarding this years funds bring the total gifted to the community to $897,500 over five years, an incredible achievement. Thanks to Bayleys Property Management for their generous sponsorship, Cargo Brew Hall for the gorgeous new venue, and Michael Thomas for the photos. Amy Wilson-White Paul Kavanagh Fenagh Smith Impact100 Global Kristen Holtzman