The difference since 2003

Since Acorn was established in 2003, we have supported hundreds of charitable organisations in the Western Bay of Plenty – all thanks to the generosity of caring people in our region.

IN FUNDS

820

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

GIFTED TO OUR COMMUNITY

300

LOCAL CHARITIES SUPPORTED

425

PEOPLE CONNECTED TO CAUSES

Our impact in 2023

In 2023, our donors enabled us to distribute over $3.3M to 226 charities in the Western Bay of Plenty, including $732,272 in scholarships and awards.

See full list of 2023 distributions

Who we’ve helped

Thanks to our donors, we’ve supported organisations large and small
that are important to our region’s wellbeing, and whose mahi inspires us.

Katikati Community Centre

Live For More

Mockingbird

St John

Tauranga Women’s Refuge

The Hub Te Puke (operated by EmpowermentNZ)

Katikati Community Centre

Website: http://katikaticommunity.nz/

Tel: (07) 549 0399

The Katikati Community Centre views itself as the heart of its community, with a mission to be a centre for inspiration, wellbeing, growth and enjoyment.

The services provided by Katikati Community Centre fall within the following categories:
•   Information and Advisory Services
•   Children and Youth Services
•   Adult Education

Information and Advisory Services provide answers to thousands of general queries from the community each year. Health & Wellbeing Expo’s are run, and both pregnancy and parenting classes are offered.

For Children and Youth Services, both after-school and school holiday programmes are run. A school holiday programme for kids aged 10 and under uses natural resources in the area to keep costs down, while the Breakaway School Holiday programme for kids from 11 to 17 provides a free, sports-based camp. The Katikati Coding Club utilises the Katikati College computer suite and local volunteers to keep kids busy after school.

Adult and Community Education provide a range of courses at the centre. The Tertiary Education Commission funds courses for learners who need to upskill in literacy, numeracy, digital literacy, Te Reo, NZ sign language and English as a second language. The Katikati Community Centre provides free courses that focus on health, cultural and social issues to promote personal, economic and social well-being, which leads to more involvement in the community.

Live For More

Website: liveformore.org.nz

Tel: 07 577 6798

“Learning to surf has helped me remember it's never too late to make a change, and what I can make out of my future... instead of drugs, alcohol, violence, gangs." These are the words of a recent 18-year-old graduate of the Live for More Tai Wātea programme.

Live for More is a charitable trust based in Tauranga that uses surf therapy to engage with vulnerable young men, predominantly of Māori heritage aged between 16 – 24. Most have been in prison or on probation, many have contemplated or attempted suicide and most have abused drugs and alcohol and been involved with gangs and crime.

Live for More has extended its programs since it began operation in 2016 and now supports these young men through three programs, Tai Ora (Waves of Wellness), Tai Wātea (Waves of Freedom) and Tai Tautoko (Waves of Support). The overall objective of Live for More is to support these young men to leave behind drugs, alcohol and crime, adopt healthy lifestyles, become meaningfully employed, feel self-esteem, allow them to see their potential and achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Another graduate said, "Surfing has taught me to take good opportunities and ride them just like the waves. It has taught me how to LIVE FOR MORE."

Funding supports Live for More so that they can continue to provide the clinical support and counselling to these young men, turning them into positive productive members of our community.

Mockingbird

Website: www.mockingbird.org.nz

Tel: 027 420 4460

Mockingbird is a non-profit organisation providing a safe and supportive social environment for neurodiverse children and youth, where diversity and special abilities are celebrated and unique guidance is provided.

Neurodiversity is both a natural and valuable form of human diversity. It is a term used to describe people who are wired differently: the 5% not the 95%. This encompasses children with ADHD, ODD, ASD, Asperger’s, dyslexia, anxiety, learning difficulties, gifted and the like.

Mockingbird is a group of families supporting one another on similar journeys and offers a full-day program Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9.30am-2.30 pm during the school term supporting children aged 5 - 18 years-old.

St John

Website: www.stjohn.org.nz

Tel: 0800 785 646

St John is at the frontline of medical response, providing ambulance services throughout New Zealand. They’re also part of a much broader picture of health care, through their provision of first aid training, event medical services, AEDs (defibrillators), first aid kits and supplies, medical alarms, youth groups and a wide range of community programmes.

They are also part of the broader landscape of health and social care, through their provision of first aid training, event medical services, medical alarms, youth programmes and a wide range of community programmes.

As a charity which is only part-government funded, St John needs to raise nearly 30% of its operating costs and it relies on the generosity of local community to support its emergency and community health services. The annual distributions from Acorn are a reliable source of ongoing income that is used to operate the emergency service and purchase vital lifesaving equipment.

Tauranga Women’s Refuge

Website: www.taurangawomensrefuge.co.nz

Tel: 07 541 1910

Tauranga Women’s Refuge is an Incorporated Society (Collective) that employs a Manager to manage services to women, their children, families and whanau. These services are provided by a dedicated team of skilled, trained, experienced and qualified Domestic Violence practitioners, Advocates and/or Social Workers.

They provide specialist domestic violence crisis intervention and support services within residential and community settings for women and children experiencing domestic violence (physical, emotional and psychological) who need safety and protection for example, 24-hour crisis helpline, temporary safe house, counselling, living without violence education programmes for women and children.

The Hub Te Puke (operated by EmpowermentNZ)

Website: https://www.thehubtepuke.org.nz/

Tel: 07 975 0157

The Hub Te Puke (operated by EmpowermentNZ) is a welcoming and safe community space fostering belonging and strengthening relationships.

The Hub Te Puke have a Foodbank that provides quality food parcels for families and individuals who need support. What started off as a small community FoodBank has since grown and expanded to include Food Rescue. They now provide over 5 tonnes of food a month to individuals and whanau, as well as community meals. The Hub Te Puke also have a specialist team of social workers who offer free support and advocacy.

At The Hub Te Puke, they have the privilege every day of seeing lives transformed and the power of hope bringing new life to those who are struggling. Whether it is someone without housing moving into a warm, dry home or a whanau who struggled financially now experiencing independence, each year is full of stories of real people finding solutions and restoration through the team's work at The Hub.

See more of the organisations we’ve supported

Supporting our community during Covid

When Covid-19 reached New Zealand’s shores in 2020 and the country went into lockdown, we joined forces with three other funders in the Western Bay of Plenty to create a new Rapid Response fund.

The fund supported Western Bay of Plenty community groups to help our community recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Learn More