From the Chair and CE - 2022/2023

Nau mai, haere mai.

Welcome to our 'Year In Review 2022/2023' Special Edition – while we look forward, we are also reflecting on the learnings and achievements of the past financial year.

We are now a full year into implementing our purpose – We strive for an equitable and sustainable society under the korowai of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – introduced by the Rātā Foundation Board. As we continue to put our funding where it makes the biggest difference, we appreciate that the change has been hard for some of our community groups. We are working hard to ensure everyone understands our new funding priorities and to support the community through this transition. Ka pai for embracing this journey.

For Rātā, community wellbeing in our funding regions continues to drive our activities across the organisation.

The challenges faced by our society have become increasingly pronounced and complex. Over the past three years, we have seen higher community needs due to economic, social, and environmental pressures.

This growth in community need has put more overlapping pressures on community organisations and funders. For community groups, inflation has meant an increased demand for services alongside the need to manage the increased cost of service provision. Funders are fighting volatile investment returns that have had some impact on their grant budgets.

For Rātā, ensuring we have the resources necessary to address equity and sustainability in our community remains a priority. We are mindful that getting those resources to where they are most needed requires ongoing engagement with our community, stakeholders, and funding partners and thoughtful management of our investment resources.

Given the volatility experienced in the market this year, we are pleased that we have maintained our pūtea at a comparable level to last year. On 31 March 2023, it was $645 million, compared to $660 million in 2022. We were able to grant just under $25 million in the year under review – an achievement we are very proud of in the current climate.

Please click here to dive deeper into our Audited Financial Accounts for 2022/2023. The accounts include our approved Community Grants Lists and Statement of Service Performance.

Our Promise for the Future

Click here to watch our digital Annual Impact Story - a visual metaphor for everything we and our community groups do, combining to create something greater.

It is hard to predict the future, but we give you our commitment to maintain our funding levels at a steady level.

It matters to Rātā that we are visible and accountable to the communities we serve. We will keep looking to grow our pūtea, even in uncertain times, so that we continue to meet funding requirements for our communities with the highest need.

We believe strongly in the power of partnership and see it as a significant opportunity to make our funding achieve an even greater impact. We also encourage our community groups to look to partnership and collaboration to support their delivery of services.

Our promise to you is the same – we are with you for the long haul.

On behalf of the Rātā Foundation whānau, we thank our hapori - our communities - whom we walk alongside daily.

E pātuki te manawa o te Rātā, he oranga mō te iwi. The heartbeat of the Rātā sustains the people.

 

Ngā mihi nui

Glenn Livingstone	Leighton Evans
Board Chair	Chief Executive