Strategic philanthropy Archives

Lessons learned

Alongside the successes and milestones, there was plenty of learning throughout the ten years of NEXT. Read more here.

The NEXT Review

The NEXT Review This Review covers the journey of NEXT over ten years and includes the back story, way of operating, key milestones and various lessons learned along the way. Read more here

NEXT Stories introduction – Sunset Reflections

Reflections at Sunset by Bill Kermode Kia ora koutou, and welcome to the fourth and final issue of the NEXT Stories. NEXT was launched ten years ago and as we approach our ten-year spend down, I’v...

Successes, learning and the future

Successes, learning and the future Reflections at sunset • Annette and Neal Plowman are the founders of NEXT, a ten-year spend down foundation, with a strategic focus on the environment and educat...

Sustaining the gains

Sustaining the gains Beyond NEXT • NEXT is a limited life Foundation and planning for transition and sustainability of grant partners began at the point of NEXT investment • NEXT looked to suppor...

Fellowship Roopu Tuatoru

Fellowship Roopu Tuatoru On the systems change frontier • In 2019 NEXT turned its attention to growing leaders in system change, via the NEXT Fellowship • The vision is to build, connect, and gro...

The Centre for Strategic Philanthropy

The Centre for Strategic Philanthropy An invitation to give thoughtfully • The Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (CSP) is a place for givers with a strategic, business-like approach to meet, share...

NEXT vision, objectives and values

Guided by stars Vision, objectives and values NEXT’s vision reflects the philosophy of it’s founders, Annette and Neal Plowman, and their particular areas of interest in environment and educat...

NEXT friends

Caring for the land and people A whole lot of help from our friends NEXT’s vision is to leave a legacy of environmental and educational excellence for the benefit of future generations of New ...

NEXT Foundation Fellowships

Growing strategic agents of change Summary Aotearoa New Zealand is facing serious challenges - social, environmental, economic and cultural - many of which are complex, embedded, fractured and...

NEXT team and community

Creating a legacy for future generations The importance of people The NEXT team and community aspire to make a transformational difference for future generations of New Zealanders NEXT is a...

Guided by stars

Kia ora koutou, and welcome to the third issue of NEXT Stories. NEXT was formed eight years ago and I’ve been musing over recent months how much has changed during that time. We have witnessed C...

NEXT Champion Geoff Ricketts
From NEXT Foundation

Giving encourages giving. On top of the generosity of our founders we are also privileged to have many other generous New Zealanders giving NEXT their time, expertise and experience to help achieve ou...

Introducing NEXT Champion Laura Lee
From NEXT

Introducing NEXT Champion Margaret Bendall
From NEXT

December 2021

Kia ora friend of NEXT, When we set the education and environmental initiatives NEXT supports the challenge of coming up with an image and one sentence to illustrate their highlight of 2021 for our...

NEXT Champions – Andrew Poole
From NEXT

Introducing NEXT Champion Andrew Poole Giving encourages giving. On top of the generosity of our founders we are also privileged to have many other generous New Zealanders giving NEXT their time, ...

The NEXT story – giving away $100million in 10 years.
From Inspiring Stories

NEXT Chief Executive Bill Kermode was part of an impressive lineup of speakers at this year’s Festival for the Future, run by Inspiring Stories. His talk focused on the concept of Strategic Philanthro...

Spring Edition – September 2021

Kia ora friend of NEXT, With Aotearoa New Zealand in another lockdown it seems apt that this newsletter features a story from former PFNZ 2050 Ltd CEO Abbie Reynolds on conservation as a catalyst f...

NEXT June Newsletter – Fight for the Wild

In this special edition newsletter we share all the links to Fight for the Wild - the four part documentary series on New Zealand’s audacious goal to become Predator Free by 2050. Documentary maker Pe...

Nextgen and philanthropy for Aotearoa New Zealand

How could philanthropy be reimagined in Aotearoa New Zealand? In this edition of NEXT Outlook Te Radar hosts a panel discussion with future young leaders Inspiring Stories CEO Guy Ryan; NEXT Fellow Ju...

NEXT Outlook returns

After a twelve month Covid hiatus - our NEXT Outlook breakfasts have returned. Despite a couple of postponements NEXT was delighted to be able to host a NEXT Outlook breakfast in mid March, where gues...

The Covid Brain Gain – Opportunities for Aotearoa New Zealand

A survey by Kea New Zealand has shown many ex pat kiwis are wanting to return home - and Covid is the catalyst. They also say they want to give back to Aotearoa New Zealand - with time and/or money...

Te Manahuna Aoraki releases annual report 2020

Te Manahuna Aoraki - an environmental initiative NEXT invests in, has published its 2020 Annual Report. It outlines all the mahi being done on this collaborative project to restore the biodiversity...

NEXT Newsletter – October 2020

In this edition of the NEXT newsletter, Wellington welcomes some new rare residents, we introduce you to the second cohort of NEXT fellows, the Ministry of Eduction collaborates more closely with phil...

Ministry of Education and philanthropy collaborating on inequality

A Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Education, Philanthropy NZ and various philanthropic organisations is the first step in a new collaborative approach to address inequity in...

BayTrust – impact investing for social change
by Annette Culpan for NEXT

BayTrust - established following the sale of the Bay of Plenty Trust Bank - has moved beyond granting into impact investment. It is discovering an impact investment strategy is a powerful tool for sol...

NEXT Newsletter – August 2020

Kia ora friend of NEXT He rangi tā matawhāiti, he rangi tā matawhānui A person with narrow vision has a restricted horizon, a person with wide vision has plenty of opportunities. Looking for...

Serve and return in babies first 1,000 days
by NEXT Fellow Thalia Wright

NEXT fellow Thalia Wright reports on serve and return communication and the importance of developing responsive relationships in the first 1,000 days of life. This article has been published by The E...

Te Manahuna Aoraki – Covid 19 lockdown lucky
by Polly Hudson NEXT Foundation

When Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased it came just in time for the field workers at NEXT supported environmental project Te Manahuna Aoraki. They were able to retrieve some predator monitorin...

Northland coastal farm Elliot Bay saved from development

Could the Bay of Islands become the location of a Great Walk to rival the Milford and Routeburn Tracks? That’s the vision of the Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust after it secured a deal on 700 hectare...

Elliot Bay saved from development

Iconic national surf beach Elliot Bay has been saved from development - with the Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust managing to secure a deal in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. NEXT is one of many ...

The San Francisco Foundation – affordable housing
by Annette Culpan for NEXT

In a NEXT series looking at case studies of strategic philanthropy, Annette Culpan reports on the San Francisco Foundation’s work to protect, produce and preserve affordable housing in Bay area - one ...

Parenting Place’s Space programme a lifeline for new parents during lockdown
by Nicholas Moody for NEXT

Isolation has been a challenge for new parents during the Covid-19 lockdown. But a NEXT supported programme - Space, which is part of the Parenting Place - has thrown them a lifeline by continuing ...

The Tindall Foundation – Affordable housing
by Annette Culpan for NEXT

In a NEXT series looking at case studies of strategic philanthropy, Annette Culpan reports on a partnership between The Tindall Foundation and New Zealand Housing Foundation to change the system of af...

Covid-19 lessons from Canterbury Earthquakes
by Nicholas Moody for NEXT

The Springboard Trust is drawing on lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes to help school leaders navigate coming out of the Covid-19 crisis. SBT, which NEXT invests in, is continuing its strategi...

Predator Free Wellington: Lockdown – Stop, Look and Listen
by Polly Hudson for NEXT

Lockdown has allowed Wellington residents the opportunity to appreciate the mahi of its Predator Free Wellington project. Birds have been spreading their wings and discovering new parts of the city- ...

ZIP social isolators become lockdown socialisers
by Polly Hudson for NEXT

Some of the field rangers for Zero Invasive Predators - an initiative NEXT invests in - are extreme social isolators. They are used to spending ten days at time in remote South Island huts by themselv...

Lifting our Aspirations – stories of strategic philanthropy from Aotearoa and beyond.

NEXT is delighted to share with you a new publication which focuses on fourteen case studies of strategic philanthropy both within New Zealand and overseas. Read more here.

NEXT Newsletter – April 2020

Kia ora friend of NEXT. Welcome to the NEXT newsletter “Lockdown edition” - we hope you and your families are safe and well during these challenging times. Just as Aotearoa New Zealand was enter...

The Education Hub – Rising to the Challenge in the Covid-19 lockdown
by Nicholas Moody for NEXT

The Education Hub has become a valuable tool for school leaders, teachers and parents in the Covid-19 lockdown - with schools closed there has been a huge demand for its educational resources. Dire...

What History Can Teach Us About Resilience
By NEXT CEO Bill Kermode

NEXT CEO Bill Kermode has had to change his sabbatical plans due to the COVID-19 crisis. But before lockdown he was privileged to travel to Antarctica and hear a story of resilience - with lessons we ...

Creating an Urban Movement for Nature
by James Willcocks, Project director Predator Free Wellington

Predator Free Wellington Project Director James Willcocks shares stories from The Miramar Peninsula predator eradication project, in this presentation for a NEXT Outlook breakfast. The project has ...

Plowman Medal awarded to Ewen Anderson
From NEXT Foundation

NEXT Investment Director Ewen Anderson has been awarded the Plowman Medal for his generous contribution to the NEXT Foundation. Ewen, who has been part of the NEXT Foundation team since its incepti...

High tech mainland predator control success

Zero Invasive Predators - a NEXT environmental investment - has just completed a successful predator eradication operation on mainland New Zealand. The Perth River Valley project is groundbreaking - ...

Humanitix: Charity for the Tech Generation

Humanitix - which has recently launched in New Zealand with support from NEXT, has been described as a “charity for the tech generation” in a profile published in Idealog magazine. The not for prof...

Does philanthropy have a place in society?
by NEXT CEO Bill Kermode

NEXT CEO Bill Kermode is currently on sabbatical. It is giving him time to write the occasional blog - and in this edition Bill shares some reading he has been doing. Read more.

MIRAMAR PENINSULA NEARLY RAT FREE

Residents in the Miramar Peninsula in Wellington might be getting their best christmas present ever - after a huge eradication project by Predator Free Wellington - one of NEXT’s environmental investm...

Giving while Living

Kea has profiled Neal and Annette Plowman and NEXT foundation in their end of year newsletter as part of a feature on a Giving in New Zealand. Read more here.

Talking Matters celebrates its own first 1,000 days by Talking Matters

Talking Matters - an education initiative seed funded by NEXT, is celebrating its own first 1,000 days. The initiative shines the light on the power of talk in the early years , the first 1,000 day...

NEXT Outlook puts spotlight on strategic philanthropy

NEXT founders Neal and Annette Plowman, with The Tindall Foundation founders Sir Stephen and Lady Margaret Tindall. NEXT was privileged to host two of New Zealand’s most generous philanth...

NEXT environmental investments profiled in Predator Free NZ article

New Zealand Geographic has featured three of NEXT’s environmental initiatives in an in depth feature on New Zealand’s ambitious goal to become a Predator Free country by 2050. Zero Invasive Predato...

Taranaki Mounga Annual Report 2019

Taranaki Mounga - one of NEXT’s environmental investments, has published its annual report highlighting progress in this project which is restoring the biodiversity on the Mounga and its surrounds. ...

Iwi and philanthropy investing together for change
by Rangimarie Price and John McCarthy

Strategic philanthropy is at the very heart of NEXT foundation - supporting education and environmental initiatives with not just funding but governance, management and other expertise too. It is a m...

Te Manahuna Aoraki publishes Annual Report 2019

Te Manahuna Aoraki - one of NEXT’s environmental investments, has published its inaugural annual report. In its first year it has focused on providing a safer environment for the birds that live in th...

Storytelling as a tool for reflection

NEXT turned five earlier this year, which represents the half way point of it’s ten year life as a spend down foundation. Since then I’ve been reflecting on the NEXT journey, and in particular the imp...

Supporting sustainability and preparing for transition

NEXT’s approach to sustainability NEXT is a spend down foundation and planning for transition begins at the point of NEXT investment Sustainability of grant partners includes financial resilie...

NEXT Governance

NEXT’s approach to governance NEXT founders Neal and Annette Plowman wanted a board that was small, flexible and philosophically aligned, with people they knew and trusted The thinking in the ...

Selecting grant partners

NEXT’s approach to selection between 2014 and 2024 The NEXT Foundation launched in March 2014 and three months later ran it’s first expression of interest (EOI) round, calling nationally for ap...

Predator Free Wellington hunts for last rats on the Miramar Peninsula

A major rat eradication project on the Miramar Peninsula is in its final weeks. When will the last rat be found - and where will it be? Radio New Zealand interviewed PFW director James Wilcocks to c...

Humanitix receives NEXT Foundation support

Humanitix has been launched in New Zealand, with some support from the strategic philanthropic foundation NEXT . Humanitix is a not for profit online ticketing platform, that channels profits from b...

NEXT supports Humanitix launch in NZ
from Humanitix

Humanitix, a not for profit ticketing platform that channels booking fee profits into education, has launched in New Zealand. Humanitix is already operating in Australia, and has launched in New Zeal...

Humanitix launched in NZ

Humanitix, a not-for-profit ticketing platform that channels profits from booking fees into education initiatives, has launched in New Zealand. NEXT is supporting Humanitix, which has selected one of ...

Predator free Wellington impact report

Do you know how many Wellingtonians support a Predator Free Wellington , how many communities have set up predator free groups and how many rodents have been caught? All these details and more in the...

Kākā release into Abel Tasman National Park
By Robyn Janes

A huge milestone for NEXT environmental initiative Project Janszoon. 24 kākā been have released into the Abel Tasman National Park in the hope they will breed and become a permanent feature in the Pa...

NZ Philanthropy Landscape

How is the philanthropic landscape in NZ changing and where does strategic philanthropy and NEXT fit into the picture? Margie Clooney reports on the current trends in this article for Denizen magazine...

NEXT Expert Teacher Award announced

Rauhina Cooper, who teaches te reo matatini and te reo Māori in Hamilton was named winner of a prestigious national award that recognises contemporary teaching practice in New Zealand. Rauhina is 2...

Building partnerships to disrupt inequities in NZ education
By Jay Allnutt CEO Ako Mātātupu: Teach First NZ

Forming partnerships to have wider impact and create sustainable change is an important part of NEXT’s approach to strategic philanthropy. Strong partnerships are fundamental to what we do and how we...

Talking Matters Campaign should be at the heart of policy and practice in NZ

“Babies that start ahead stay ahead,” Talking Matters Campaign Director Alison Sutton says. “Conversely the ones who start behind struggle to catch up.” NEXT is an investor in Talking Matters as pa...

Kākā returned to Abel Tasman

Twelve kākā have been released into the Abel Tasman National Park, where NEXT invests in Project Janszoon. The kākā have been released into an area with intensive trapping, in the hope they will surv...

Postcard from NEXT CEO
by Bill Kermode

NEXT CEO Bill Kermode is currently on sabbatical. It is giving him time to write the occasional blog - and in this edition Bill shares some reading he has been doing, including one that is providing s...

Te Manahuna Aoraki predator trapping yields some surprises

Ferrets, stoats, weasels, rats, hedgehogs and feral cats almost as big as labrador dogs! The first predator trapping statistics have been released from NEXT supported environmental initiative Te Ma...

Strategic philanthropy – helping bring back the birdsong – By Lou Sanson – DOC Director General

Recently on a weekend I had the good fortune to walk from Awaroa Hut to Anchorage Hut in Abel Tasman National Park. It was mid- winter but glorious sun. What I couldn’t believe was the sounds of bellb...

The next NEXT five years
by Chris Liddell NEXT Founding Chair

Five years on from its inception NEXT has great life and spirit, driven by the wonderful initiatives and leaders it has invested in – and the substantial improvement they have already contributed to t...

Opinion: NGOs — here’s how to strengthen your engagement with governments

Large-scale social change rarely occurs without government playing a key role in policy change, policy implementation, or both. Consider China’s rural legal reforms in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, which he...

NEXT founding chair Chris Liddell mixes rugby and philanthropy

As you could imagine for someone who takes his working orders from Donald Trump, Chris Liddell has not a bad back story around his involvement as the driving force in the global search for a first XV ...

The Path to Strategic Philanthropy
by Finlay Macdonald
NEXT Foundation

Being recognised with the 2018 Kea World Class New Zealand Supreme Award was a timely reminder of the generous charitable contribution Neal and Annette Plowman have made over many decades, most public...

A lens on our fifth celebrations

NEXT was privileged to have some of New Zealand’s top educationalists, environmentalists and philanthropists among over 200 guests at the Auckland War Memorial Museum to celebrate our first five years...

How does change happen?

System change is a critical part of the challenge of strategic philanthropy - and a big part of NEXT’s agenda in New Zealand. So how does it happen? Co-impact is a global collaborative focused on syst...

Australia’s most generous philanthropist urges others to dig deep

Australia’s biggest philanthropist ever calls on his wealthy Asian/Pacific neighbours to put their hands in their pockets and give to charity - not buy a bigger yacht. This report from the Sydney Morn...

NEXT’s 10 year challenge by NEXT CEO Bill Kermode

NEXT was created with the advantage of having a fixed life. And it was given the challenge of making a sustainable difference to complex problems that will likely not be fully solved in that lifetime....

Partnerships & Collaboration – Te Manahuna Aoraki

Te Manahuna Aoraki is a collaboration between government, iwi, private landowners, philanthropists and community to restore the biodiversity of the upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki/Mount Cook National...

NEXT – Reflecting on our first five years

NEXT is celebrating its halfway mark - we are five years into our 10 year project. NEXT is privileged to work with some of New Zealand’s most inspiring people and projects - who are transforming our e...

NEXT – Celebrating our first 5 years

More than 200 guests – philanthropists, educationalists, environmentalists – even a former Prime Minister – gathered at the Auckland War Memorial Museum to celebrate NEXT’s first five years. “When Ne...

NEXT Supports 4,000 NZ Teachers to Upskill in Technology through The Mind Lab

One in 15 New Zealand teachers have upskilled in technology through a NEXT sponsored postgraduate programme run by The Mind Lab. The 4000 primary and secondary teachers have graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital and Collaborative learning.

Tag Archives: Strategic philanthropy

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