This is not the reality for many thousands of children and young people today. They and their
families have become locked into poverty via rising housing costs and low incomes. Many parents find
themselves
under-resourced and stressed.
The Peter McKenzie Project, a key programme of the JR McKenzie Trust, is a collective of initiatives tackling the root causes of child and
whānau poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The project has a long-term focus, and is taking an experimental approach to systems change. Our participatory funding model allows our Kaikōkiri, Committee and team to work together to make decisions about strategy, resourcing, and grant making. We believe this way of working can help us build an Aotearoa where all children and whānau are free from poverty, and living lives full of opportunity.
"The J R McKenzie Trust has a unique identity and giving philosophy that was driven by Sir John and Sir Roy McKenzie and which has been further shaped by subsequent generations of the McKenzie family. The Trust’s ten-year strategy, Te Anga Rautaki, is the latest expression of that philosophy, one that’s grounded in respect for the mana and mahi of the organisations and communities it supports. The Peter McKenzie Project has an active and valuable part to play in achieving the Trust’s vision: Kia hua mai he whenua ka toko i te tika me to pono hei korowai mō Aotearoa / A socially just and inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand."
— Chelsea Grootveld (Ngāitai, Ngāti Porou, Whānau-ā-Apanui, Whakatōhea and Te Arawa), Chair – J R McKenzie Trust
Tokona te Raki are Māori future makers. They use social innovation to achieve equity in education, employment and income for all Māori within the Ngāi Tahu takiwā, and beyond. Tokona te Raki have looked to the wisdom of their tūpuna to create a new iwi-led approach to Māori future making. They are unweaving broken systems and imagining new horizons, driving systemic change and empowering rangatahi to enable long-term transformation. Their work is creating a world where all Māori are inspired by their futures, confident in their culture, prosperous in their careers and succeeding as Māori.
Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga fosters active citizenship – nurturing leadership in civil society for a more just world. It represents an alliance of diverse union, faith, and community groups that are working together to address the causes of poverty in families and communities in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This approach closes the gap between communities and society’s decision-makers – enabling people to influence their own future and the systems and structures that define their world.
The Workshop investigates the role that public narratives play in holding social problems in place. They work to improve lives by changing how people talk about these problems. The Workshop’s research and communications advice offers evidence-based narrative strategies and storytelling tools to shift public thinking and encourage decisions that will make the biggest difference to people’s lives.
Community Housing Aotearoa (CHA) is a peak body for community organisations providing social and affordable housing throughout Aotearoa. Through its work with government, researchers and international movements for change, CHA aims to play a catalyst role, leading a collective approach to improve the housing system – increasing the supply of decent, affordable homes, especially for lower-income families.
ActionStation Aotearoa is an independent, crowdfunded, community campaigning organisation. They bring people together to act in powerful and coordinated ways to create a fair and flourishing Aotearoa for all.
The solutions for our issues lie within our community (Samoan proverb)
Uptempo is a project led by The Southern Initiative which partners with Pasifika ‘aiga (families) to explore how they direct and determine their own economic futures. The programme aims to understand what it will take – at both a grassroots and systems level – to shift the dial and create long-lasting wealth and well-being for Pasifika people. Uptempo is being brought to life in south and west Auckland alongside ‘aiga, The Fono and First Union.
Muaūpoko Tribal Authority’s iwi-led, local approach is supporting self-determination and creating prosperity in Taitoko (Levin).
After listening to voices from each of their 68 marae, three priority aspirations were identified. In order to realise these and build a better future for their whānau, marae and hapū, they are developing an Innovation Hub for Rangatahi within the Waikato-Tainui rohe. Their approach is based on a ‘social innovation lab’ which includes a physical space (‘aatea’), as well as a disciplined process (’kawa’) to support innovation, collaboration and partnership.
The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) is the leading collaboration of organisations, alliances, movements and individuals working towards a Wellbeing Economy, delivering human and ecological wellbeing. Born in 2018 as a time-bound project to catalyse a transition towards a Wellbeing Economy by promoting radical connection and collaboration between different actors of the new economy ecosystem to achieve impact larger than the sum of our parts.
Guided by a deep sense of responsibility and purpose, we are Tautai, the wayfinders committed to restoring the identities of Tangata Moana. We empower Pasifika communities by revitalizing their cultural heritage, fostering connections, navigating systems change and enhancing well-being through innovative programs, advisory services, and modern wayfinding tools.
Sibyl Bloomfield (Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto, and Ngai Te Rangi) is a granddaughter of Sir Roy and Lady Shirley McKenzie. She lives in Auckland with her husband and two young children. Sibyl is a Landscape Architect currently working as a senior lecturer in Architecture in Huri te Ao - The School of Future Environments at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau (AUT).
Jonathan was a previous Rotary appointee on the J R McKenzie Trust as well as Chair of this Committee. Jonathan is a businessman and award-winning magician, and volunteers for community organisations in his home town of Dunedin.
Sailau is a Samoan academic focused on sociology and criminology at the University of Auckland. She is committed to strengthening the Pacific academic and research workforce capacity and to promoting indigenous research and evaluation knowledge.
Mike O’Brien is an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland with recent research on child poverty, welfare reform, and social services. He has been committed to reducing poverty for many years and is a leading member of the Child Poverty Action Group.
Jesse is the CEO of Zeal , a national youth development organisation deeply committed to the transformation of young people’s lives in Aotearoa, with 18 years’ leadership and programme management experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He is a proud Cook Islander / Tongan, born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau and a Trustee of the J R McKenzie Trust.
Erin Matariki Carr is of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa and Pākehā descent. She is the Law Society appointed trustee for the JR McKenzie Trust. Her career has been as a solicitor for Te Waka Ture at Chapman Tripp, as a policy writer, as a consultant and as a research fellow at University of Auckland Law School.
Melissa Campbell is Director of Campbell Law Ltd. Her specialist areas are property and commercial transaction. She is a Trustee and Panel Chair for Hamilton of the JR McKenzie Trust. She enjoys spending time with her family and leading an active sporting life.
Lili has a great deal of experience in the education sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. She has held senior management and governance roles in the education and community sectors. Before starting in this role, she was a J R McKenzie Trustee for four years.
During the last 25 years, Janet has been fortunate to have worked on projects with many organisations including large corporates, government organisations, non-profits and philanthropies. Janet has worked with the J R McKenzie Trust since 2005 and has been with PMP since just after its inception in 2012.
With more than 30 years of experience in community, academic, and government roles, Christina brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team. Her passion for building effective collaborations through strategic philanthropy and supporting community-led change.
Gael is passionate about community led and innovative solutions to our most complex challenges. She developed and led Auckland Council’s social innovation team The Southern Initiative (TSI). While at TSI Gael led a systems change approach to address the conditions that create disadvantage and inequity. Among her roles, she was a panel member on the Ministerial Review on the Future for Local Government and has recently been appointed as an adjunct fellow of the Griffith University Centre for Systems Innovation in Brisbane.
Ngaere (Ngāti Porou | Ngai Tai) works with the JR McKenzie Trust as their Kaiārahi Māori, and we are very fortunate that she can spend some of her time directly supporting the PMP kaupapa. Ngaere has had previous roles within the Ministry of Education and Education Review Office.
Sam Caldwell (Kaimahi)
Kathryn Nemec (Evaluator)
Iain Hines (Director)
Alex Woodley (Evaluator)
