Trustees & Staff attend the Combined Community Trusts Conference in Invercargill

The conference is held every two years and provides a forum for funders to meet together and look at best practice, discuss current issues communities are facing and to consider how they can continue to work collaboratively together to support their communities.   

Regional trusts each work in their own rohe and between them they grant over $150m annually to local community groups and projects. The theme of the conference this year is “Threads of Trust – Weaving Enduring Relationships” and speaks to the importance of building lasting relationships and working together in collaboration to support communities.  The theme also speaks to the history of the community trusts having come from the Trust banks, as well as the trusted relationships that community trust’s form with their communities.

“As regional trusts we have an important role to play to work alongside and support our communities, and opportunities like this conference allow us to explore important issues and work together on national challenges such as climate change.” says Jackie Flutey Chief Executive Community Trust South who hosted the conference. 

As signatories to the Aotearoa Funders Commitment on Climate Action the combined Trusts recognise the impacts of the shift to a low carbon society may be unfairly borne by already vulnerable communities, therefore a need emerges to appropriately support these communities.

Over 175 delegates attended the two-day conference at the Ascot Park Hotel, the delegates included the CEOs, chairs, trustees and key staff from Foundation North, Toi Foundation, Rātā Foundation, Trust Waikato, BayTrust, Eastern & Central Community Trust, Otago Community Trust, Community Trust South, Wellington Community Fund, Community Trust of Mid & South Canterbury, Whanganui Community Foundation and West Coast Community Trust. Some local southern region trusts also attended.  

Glenn Livingstone, the Convenor of Community Trust Chairs, says the conference was a wonderful opportunity to connect, share and learn about best practice in philanthropy.  Invercargill was a wonderful host city. “Delegates were welcomed to the refreshed Invercargill inner city and enjoyed warm southern hospitality and leave the conference inspired to continue to make a difference in their respective communities.”

Keynote speakers at the conference included Hon Shane Jones, Dr Hana O’Regan, Lisa Tumahai Dr Michael Stevens, Emma Powell and Storm Uru amongst others. 

The conference highlighted the importance of community trusts continuing to honour and uphold the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and working in partnership with iwi Māori to address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities our changing world brings. 

Alongside the conference there were two public sessions hosted at Community Trust South one by Barry Knight from the United Kingdom who is an advisor to the Global Fund for Community Foundations focussed on Impact Measurement and one by Anjum Rahman from Tāhono – Inclusive Aotearoa on Online Harm and the impact on communities.