The Acorn Blog
Where legacies take shape: insights, inspiration, and local voices that matter.
It’s Wills Month In September – A Beginner’s Guide to Endowment Giving
Discover how an Acorn Foundation endowment fund can turn one gift in your will into lasting support for your community, year after year.
The Shaw Family Legacy
From humble beginnings to a lasting legacy, discover how the Shaw Family Endowment continues Jack and Aileen’s quiet generosity in the Western Bay.
Sally’s Angels Celebrate 10 Years of Giving Back
This year marks a very special milestone for one of our Giving Circles, Sally’s Angels. For the past 10 years, this group of Tauranga friends has been quietly making a big difference in our community.…
BirdWatch & Biowool: Cashmore Scholar Turns Kiwi Ideas into Impact
Massey design student Toby McGuffie turns strong wool into reusable panels and creates BirdWatch to track native birds, both made possible by a Cashmore Family Scholarship.
Curiosity Abroad: Lessons from Acorns Trip to Canada
In May 2025, Acorn Foundation’s team travelled 12,000 km to meet three of Canada’s leading community foundations and attend the Community Foundations of Canada conference in Halifax. Their…
Western Bay Students Shine at the 2025 Dale Carnegie Youth Graduation
Twenty-two Western Bay Year 13 students crossed the stage at Tauranga’s Masonic Conference Centre after three intensive days of Dale Carnegie training, emerging with fresh confidence, sharper people…
Planting the first acorn: Edna Brown’s enduring legacy
How a quiet bequest from Tauranga resident Edna Brown became the very first Acorn Foundation fund, sparking more than $75 k in grants (and counting) for medical charities while her original gift keeps…
From Tiny Seed to Mighty Forest: 22 Years of Acorn Foundation Milestones
Explore 22 years of Acorn Foundation milestones and discover how $20 million in grants is reshaping the Western Bay of Plenty.
Celebrating Our 2025 Outward Bound Scholarship Receipents
On 10 June we celebrated 12 rangatahi awarded 2025 Outward Bound scholarships—an inspiring evening of youth achievement and donor generosity at The Kollective.