The Western Bay Emergency Response Fund (WBERF) was created between five local entities:  Acorn Foundation, Bay Trust, TECT, Tauranga City Council, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council. This fund provides a co-ordinated and collaborative approach to fundraising for the community in the event of an emergency.  The fund is aimed at providing quick-turnaround financial support to registered charitable organisations assisting their communities during and after an emergency event. 

All funds raised for the Western Bay Emergency Response Fund, between or during emergencies, go directly to supporting communities across Tauranga Moana and the Western Bay of Plenty affected by an emergency event.

Funding is distributed to charitable organisations — including community groups, marae, and charities registered with the Charities Commission — that are working directly with affected people and communities during the immediate emergency or recovery phase.

Please note: donations to this fund can only be distributed to registered charitable organisations under Charities Commission rules.

For individuals or businesses needing financial assistance, other funding sources are available through:

• Mayoral Relief Funds – set up by Local Councils to support the needs of individual residents, households, and businesses affected.
• Central Government programmes – through DIA, TPK and MBIE to support the needs of businesses, employers, and community organisations that are not a registered charity.
• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) – for eligible organisations seeking reimbursement who were tasked by a Government agency to support the response of an emergency event.

Visit the websites of these organisations directly for more information.

There is no minimum donation amount. However, tax-deductible donation receipts can only be claimed with the IRD for donations over $5.

Yes, you can claim donation tax credits against your taxable income when you make donations to the Acorn Foundation. 

Thank you for considering a donation to the WBERF. Your tax-deductible donation receipt will be sent to the email address registered on the payment widget. 

Occasionally, our emails may be blocked by your provider. If you don’t receive the information you need, please contact our Operations team at accounts@acornfoundation.org.nz, and we’ll be happy to send you a copy.

Acorn Foundation is a trusted and registered recipient on most banking platforms in New Zealand. If you wish to donate using Internet Banking in New Zealand, please search for Acorn Foundation – Grant Account. Please ensure to include “WBERF” as the Particulars and “TWBWE” as the Reference in the payment details. If you haven't donated to Acorn Foundation before you will need to email your first and last name to info@acornfoundation.org.nz to enable us to send you your receipt. 

We recommend using internet banking. If you need a bank deposit slip, please contact our operations team at accounts@acornfoundation.org.nz, and they will be happy to assist.

No. Donations made to the WBERF are treated as pass through funds and will not be invested by the Acorn Foundation. 

Acorn Foundation fees for this fund are set at 4% to cover the amount that we are charged for the merchant fees to process the donations. 

All fund partners are involved in the funding evaluation process, while the distribution of funds will be managed by Acorn. 

Because the funders are bound by New Zealand Charities Commission rules, grants can only be made to community-based organisations, not individuals. Priority will be given to grants that assist charitable organisations to continue or modify services critical to community wellbeing during the emergency recovery period. Generally, funding will not be provided to individuals, informal groups, or entities without charitable status.

The WBERF is focused on the regions administered by Tauranga City Council and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council which stretches from Waihi Beach in the north through to Otamarakau in the east. 

Thank you for considering making a donation to WBERF. The fund is designed to help organisations continue or adapt their services to meet community needs through the crisis and recovery phases, until the event stabilises or available funds are fully allocated. Therefore, unfortunately, donors won’t be able to designate their donations to a specific grantee. 

We are truly sorry for what you have experienced. While the fund is unable to accept applications from individuals directly, we encourage you to reach out to a community-based organisations that are currently supporting individuals affected by the event. In addition, the councils have additional resources to support homeowners whose property has been affected by this weather emergency. 

You can make an overseas donation using our online donation widget. However, some credit cards with international restrictions may prevent the transaction from being processed. If this happens, please contact our Operations team; accounts@acornfoundation.org.nz, who can provide you with our international payment details for internet banking.