Community Sailing, Scholarship Programmes and Multiple Environmental Initiatives the Focus for the Mazda Foundation

The Mazda Foundation has gifted more than $82,000 back to the community with a strong focus on conservation groups and organisations that provide support to the disabled community.

The final funding round of the year supported 24 organisations and individuals, including a not-for- profit sailing initiative and Auckland Hospital’s new scholarship programme, which took the funding for all of 2022 to over $225,000.

The Foundation is funded through a contribution from the sale of every new Mazda in New Zealand. Every year three funding rounds help Kiwis in need with nearly $4.5 million being gifted back to the community since its inception in 2005.

Sailability Wellington Trust Incorporated received $2,425.35 for a set of new VHF radios to ensure they can maintain safety with its disabled sailing programmes.

The trust, which operates out of Evan’s Bay Yacht & Motorboat Club, Seaview Marina, and the Duncan Renouf Jetty at Porirua Harbour, runs courses throughout the year to give people with any form of disability an opportunity to sail.

Sailability Wellington CEO Don Manning says the trust’s programme gives people with a disability the chance to do something they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.

“We are extremely grateful to the foundation for supporting us. The new VHF radios might seem small, but they are a critical safety tool. The communication via VHF radio can be the difference between life and death on the water, and with them we can continue to run our courses all year-round.”

New Zealand Conservation Trust who work hard at protecting and caring for our unique taonga received $3,911.30 for a new kiwi egg incubator. The Trust had been limited to the number of eggs it could care for, but the new unit is capable of incubating 12 eggs at a time.

The Trust Resource and Education Coordinator Janet Hellyer says the current units didn’t have the capacity needed, and each egg had to be manually turned four times a day.

“The incubators create a safe environment that ensure chicks form correctly through the development stage in the egg. The process increases the number of kiwis hatched which do not have underlying issues.”

Auckland Hospital Foundation received $5,000 to go towards its Rise Scholarship Programme. This will help develop ambitious men and women into highly skilled professionals who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to achieve careers in healthcare - by supporting aspiring nurses and midwives to learn without financial or emotional pressure.

Auckland Hospital Foundation Director Candy Schroder says becoming a nurse or midwife is often a calling, but it isn't easy for some to achieve this dream.

“Thanks to the Mazda Foundation and other supporters, our Rise Scholarship Programme can assist students who would otherwise not be able to complete their qualification due to personal circumstances.”

"It is so important that New Zealand builds its future nursing and midwifery workforce and supporting those with the passion and desire to succeed in their health careers will benefit them, their whānau and the wider community for generations to come."

David Hodge, Chairman of the Mazda Foundation, says it is amazing to see the Foundation continue to make a difference to Kiwi’s lives.

“I’m proud at what the foundation has achieved and it’s incredible to look back over the year at the people and organisations we have helped. In total the foundation has gifted over $225,000 this year.”

The Mazda Foundation has three closing dates for funding rounds every year: 31 March, 30 June and 30 September. Applications for funding can be submitted for any of these rounds by sending a submission before the due date.