Next Foundation

Next Foundation
Type Philanthropic organisation
Location
  • Auckland, New Zealand
Chris Liddell, Barrie Brown, Carol Campbell, Geoff Harley
Key people
 Bill Kermode (CEO)[1] Ewen Anderson, Devon Mclean, Jan Hania
Website www.nextfoundation.org.nz

The Next Foundation (styled NEXT Foundation) is a privately funded New Zealand philanthropic foundation that was launched in March 2014. It has a mandate to invest $100 million over 10 years into environmental and educational projects that will benefit New Zealanders. Next Foundation is aiming to make large-scale commitments of approximately $5–15 million per annum over 10 years to a small number of projects.[2]

Next Foundation aims to invest in large, strategic projects in the education and environment sectors of New Zealand. It was established in 2014 by an endowment of NZ$100 million by New Zealand philanthropists Neal and Annette Plowman,[3] who had also funded the restoration of Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

Next Foundation is led by a group of prominent New Zealand businesspeople, including the current Chairman of Xero and former CFO of Microsoft and General Motors, Chris Liddell, who is the Chairman of the Next Foundation.[4]

Next Foundation has taken the model for strategic philanthropic investment from the global venture philanthropy movement (led by the Gates Foundation), which looks at achieving broad social impact. Next Foundation will put significant investment into an approximate maximum of 10-12 projects over ten years.

Projects

Next Foundation announced the first four projects from the 2014 applications in December 2014. They then followed up with a two further investments in education in July 2015, and another environmental project in late 2015.

Environment

Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) is a new environmental initiative that focuses on using innovative methods of predator control to sustain New Zealand’s native bird life. They are developing and piloting systems to permanently remove predators such as rats, stoats and possums from mainland New Zealand. ZIP is also supported by the New Zealand Department of Conservation,[5] local philanthropists Gareth and Sam Morgan[6] and some major Dairy companies, including Fonterra, Open Country, Synlait, Tatua and Westland Milk Products.[7]

Te Awaroa, A Thousand Rivers is a new programme launched by Dame Anne Salmond designed to work with communities in creating a pathway for cleaning up New Zealand rivers.[7] Te Awaroa looks at combating that problem by firstly completing a large-scale review and then working on an action plan, based around community involvement that can be implemented nationwide.[8]

Project Taranaki Mounga is a ten-year $24 million project of controlling pests and reintroducing native bird and bat species in the 34,000 ha of Egmont National Park.[9]

Education

Springboard Trust is a New Zealand Trust that provides various programmes aimed at enhancing the leadership and strategic skills of principals to improve the learning outcomes for students. Next Foundation is helping them expand their ‘Strategic Leadership for Principals’ programme throughout New Zealand in the coming years.[7]

The Mind Lab by Unitec is an institution based in Auckland that is focused on up-skilling teachers in technology and modern teaching methods. The program provides a modern postgraduate qualification for educators that teaches them how to implement this new approach into their classrooms. Currently based in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Gisborne Next Foundation is helping Mind Lab expand into other centres across New Zealand and also funding scholarships for up to 800 new teachers to complete the programme.[7]

Manaiakalani Outreach is an expansion of the successful Manaiakalani approach, piloted in and around Pt England School in East Auckland, into five clusters of schools throughout low socio-economic communities in New Zealand. Manaiakalani Outreach will provide this proven digital approach to over 8,500 students throughout New Zealand. The Manaiakalani Outreach programme uses an evidence based system with collaborative learning pedagogies enhanced by modern digital learning environments incorporated in a full community approach to increasing the learning outcomes for their students.[10]

The Excel Rotorua Education Trust is a new initiative aimed at improving learning outcomes for all students in the city of Rotorua. Their Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru programme is using collaborative learning pedagogies within and between schools, enhanced by digital teaching environments to do this. These schools have an average decile rating of four and rolls averaging 54% Maori. Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru is equipping students with digital devices and up-skilling teachers to reduce the education inequality faced in Rotorua.[11] The Excel Rotorua Education Trust is currently still in the early stages of the programme helping Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru to engage with up to 30 schools in the Rotorua region.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Cotton, Jonathan (2014-05-29). "Kermode appointed CEO at Next Foundation". Idealog. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  2. ↑ "$100m 'Next Foundation' launched". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  3. ↑ "100 million NEXT Foundation launched". 3 News. MediaWorks TV. 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  4. ↑ Cotton, Jonathan (2014-12-15). "Chris Liddell and NEXT Foundation, his version of Bill Gates' foundation, Kiwi-style". Idealog. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  5. ↑ "Dairy industry with NEXT Foundation and DOC join forces to accelerate investment in predator control: Media release 26 February 2015". Doc.govt.nz. 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150709104211/http://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2014/minister-welcomes-predator-control-venture/. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 1 2 3 4 http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/next-foundation-announces-first-four-investments/5/210183s/. Retrieved July 14, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ "NEXT Foundation award to Te Awaroa:Taking Care of our Rivers announced - The University of Auckland". Arts.auckland.ac.nz. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  9. ↑ "Project Taranaki Mounga Next big project". Scoop. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  10. 1 2 "NEXT Foundation Announces Two New Investments in Education | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  11. ↑ "Partners aim to boost learning". Rotorua Daily Post. NZME. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
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