June 2007 Recipients
Mazda Foundation Performing Arts Tuition Scholarship

A further 12 talented young performers will be able to follow their dreams thanks to the Mazda Foundation’s generous support of the Performing Arts Association of New Zealand (PACANZ) for the second year running. Following a grant of $18,000 in 2006, the Mazda Foundation awarded the organisation a further $24,000 in 2007. This has been translated into $24,000 worth of tuition grants given to first, second and third place performers. Each recipient determines the exact purpose for the scholarship suitable to his or her situation, within the parameters of tuition. Last year the scholarships were used toward the completion of training in New Zealand and overseas, post-graduate courses, special schools and master classes. The awards bring together the creme-de-la- creme of young performers and are an opportunity for growth and development of the individual as they hone performance skills and technical prowess. Through a rigorous competition and assessment process the awards identify 12 young people each year who have the skills, talent and motivation to move onto a professional career in their chosen art form. The disciplines of Ballet, Tap, Pianoforte, Vocal, Modern Dance, Highland and National Dance, Orchestral Instrument and Speech and Drama are alternated each year. Annette Johnston of PACANZ says so many organisations face challenges trying to secure funding. “Like many others, our organisation doesn’t fit within the parameters of other funding bodies which can be so prescriptive in terms of what they support. For example, Creative New Zealand aren’t interested because we deal with amateurs. “To find a Foundation like the Mazda Foundation which is open-minded and wider-seeing has been a delight and thanks to them it has given 24 talented young performers enormous opportunities they would never have had to pursue a career in the performing arts.”

June 2007 Recipients
Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust

A second Mazda Foundation grant of $8,000 is helping to monitor and protect New Zealand’s Monarch Butterfly and educate New Zealanders about their importance to the environment. The first grant in 2006 enabled the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust to carry out a much-needed national research project, including a butterfly monitoring and tagging programme – to find out whether butterfly populations in New Zealand are declining as suspected – and looking at what can be done to reverse any adverse impact. Butterflies as pollinators are key indicators of the health of the environment. However, indigenous butterflies appear to be disappearing, hence the need to make more New Zealanders aware of them and their threats. The 2007 grant helped the Trust take up a key opportunity to educate some 60,000+ gardeners about the need to protect butterflies, wild spaces and insect life. The exhibit at the 2007 Ellerslie International Flower Show featured live changes from Monarch caterpillars, to pupae into butterflies. There were a range of colour nectar plants for all butterflies, artwork, audiovisual displays and daily releases of Monarch butterflies in the Ellerslie gardens. The stand proved very popular with both guests and judges – receiving a bronze award.

June 2007 Recipients
Food For Thought Programme

Mt Wellington children will have fresh fruit to eat at school – with help from a Mazda Foundation grant. The grant of $5,000 will go towards the Maungarei Community Christian Trust’s Food For Thought programme which distributes fresh fruit to low decile schools in the Mt Wellington area. Tracy Winther of the Maungarei Community Christian Trust says a week’s worth of fruit is delivered to Bailey Road, Sylvia Park Primary School and Panmure District School on Monday mornings and given to pupils three times a week. “There are many needy children within the Mt Wellington catchment that go to school hungry. It is a proven fact that children who have poor diets are low in vitamins and have increased learning difficulties and behavioural problems.” Before morning tea, classes stop what they are doing and as a group sit and eat their fruit. “This has become a very special part of the day and good relationship building time for each class,” says Tracy.

June 2007 Recipients
Fitzroy Surf Life Saving Club

The extra numbers of young surf life savers at Fitzroy this year will get the equipment they need, thanks to funding from the Mazda Foundation. A grant of $2,375 will pay for new rescue tubes, boogie boards and nipper boards needed to train the club’s junior section. Fitzroy Surf Life Saving Club co-ordinator Leigh Laurence says the number of junior members has increased from 50 members to 80 members over the last season, so there was a desperate need for extra equipment to teach the young lifeguards essential skills so they can help keep the beaches safe.

June 2007 Recipients
Clinton Play Centre

Kids at Clinton Playcentre got an early Christmas present, when they turned up and saw the Kindy’s new playhouse – bought with a grant from the Mazda Foundation. The grant of $1,663.99 paid for the wooden kit-set play house to be built in the kindergarten’s new play ground. The play house features include a slatted floor, safety-glazed windows, a magnetic door catch, a verandah, and panoramic views out to the community award winning play area.

March 2007 Recipients
Treemendous School Makeovers

Treemendous School Makeovers is a joint initiative by the Mazda Foundation and Project Crimson which launched in 2007 to give New Zealand primary and intermediate schools the chance to improve and enhance their school grounds through the planting of native trees. Treemendous School Makeovers gives New Zealand primary and intermediate schools the chance to improve and enhance their school grounds through the planting of native trees. Each year four schools are selected to get a visit from the Treemendous Team, who, along with the school community, create a beautiful native tree garden that everyone can enjoy for generations. The inaugural recipients are Hamilton’s Ohaupo School, Kaikohe’s Ohaeawai School, Gisborne’s Wainui Beach School and Dunedin’s Karitane School – chosen from 188 colourful applications from schools throughout the country. Ohaeawai School plans to create a garden of native trees which will attract birds, including the Northland native bird, the Kukupa – the school’s representative symbol. Karitane School will create a garden along the front of the school as a buffer between the traffic and play area to provide shade and wind protection. Ohaupo School will plant the area in front of its two new classrooms which formerly held the school’s swimming pool so it connects to the existing native bush on the back fence line which has trees as old as the school (prior to 1870). Wainui Beach School’s plan is to create a bush clad area along the grassed front boundary which will attract native birds and offer the children a place to learn, relax and play. Students will be taught to recognise the different tree species and learn their Maori name, botanical name and their medicinal properties. The Treemendous School Makeovers will take place in early 2008.

March 2007 Recipients
KidsCan Charitable Trust

Disadvantaged kids won’t have to go to school wet this winter thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Mazda Foundation. The Mazda Foundation funding will go towards KidsCan Charitable Trust’s ‘Raincoats for Kids’ programme. The Trust, which aims to meet the basic physical and nutritional needs of disadvantaged children, was formed in 2005 and since then has been devoted to providing three necessities – food, shoes and raincoats – to primary and intermediate pupils. KidsCan has developed preventative programmes in response to an overwhelming need faced by lower decile schools. Carl Sunderland, spokesperson for the KidsCan Charitable Trust is delighted the Mazda Foundation is supporting the ‘Raincoats for Kids’ programme. “I am extremely happy Mazda is behind this. It’s great for a company like Mazda to get involved.” The grant will enable the Trust to purchase 300 raincoats which be will specially made and distributed to students in June. Carl says recent feedback after the distribution of raincoats to more than 8,000 students last year has shown that the donation of raincoats to disadvantaged kids has not only kept youngsters dry but also helped improve their attendance at school and academic performance. “Giving them the raincoats also improves their self esteem and gives them pride by reducing social stigma. It also encourages kids to take more care of their clothes.” The raincoats are distributed to students who are deemed by their principals and teachers as being worthy recipients but in some cases, entire schools are supplied with the coats. “Before launching KidsCan initiatives, we approached principals and asked them what are the main barriers students face and what we could do to help. “The overwhelming comments were that there was a need for suitable wet weather gear,” says Carl. “We are pleased to be able to help give kids things that most people take for granted.”

March 2007 Recipients
Play it Strange Trust

Mazda Foundation grant enables Play it Strange to expand its Ukulele in Schools programme. A group of Kiwi musicians, who have been gunning for the ukulele to replace the recorder as the primary school musical instrument of choice, are one step closer to their goal thanks to the Mazda Foundation. Ex-pupil and music industry personality Peter Urlich (middle) teaches Sacred Heart Intermediate students how to play the Ukulele while Mike Chunn (rear left) from Play it Strange and Mazda’s Andrew Clearwater (rear right) look on. Mazda Foundation has gifted $15,000 to the Play it Strange Trust, which encourages young New Zealanders to develop interests and skills in musical composition and performance. $7,000 has already been used to purchase 200 ukuleles for ten primary and intermediate schools in Auckland and the remaining $8,000 will enable further schools to enjoy ukulele orchestras. These schools are currently being chosen in conjunction with the Ministry of Education’s music advisor. Play it Strange CEO Mike Chunn is the former bass guitarist of Split Enz and a huge cheerleader of homegrown music. He says the ukulele is a wonderful instrument to get younger children excited about music and leads naturally to the guitar and other more sophisticated instruments. “Kids just love strumming away on the ukuleles,” says Chunn. “As a four stringed instrument it is simple to learn and suits smaller hands. What’s more – unlike a recorder – you can actually sing along to a ukulele. This country is fizzing with untapped musical talent and it is so important that this talent is encouraged and nurtured.” The ukulele programme gives students access to instruments they otherwise may not have access to, and adds a new ‘fun’ dimension to music education in schools. The ukulele donation programme to schools has been running since 2004 when the Play it Strange Trust was approached by legendary steel guitar player Bill Sevesi with the idea. Since then, 1400 ukuleles have been given out to a total of 70 schools around New Zealand. The ten East-Auckland schools that have received ukuleles as a result of the Mazda Foundation funding include: Tamaki Primary (Panmure), Point England School (Point England), Tamaki Intermediate (Panmure), Glen Innes Primary, St Patrick’s (Panmure), Panmure Bridge School, Stanhope Rd School (Mt Wellington), Sylvia Park School (Mt Wellington), St Pius X School (Glen Innes) and Sacred Heart Intermediate (Glen Innes).

March 2007 Recipients
Motu Moana Green Bay Scout Group

Young scouts are happy campers thanks to the Mazda Foundation. More than 147 youths have benefited from a grant which has provided them with the tools they need for their intrepid adventures. Funding from the Mazda Foundation to the tune of $14,450 enabled New Zealand’s second largest scout group, Motu Moana Green Bay Scout Group, to purchase new tents. The tents have replaced old, worn tents and are used for outdoor programmes which involve teaching girls and boys aged between six and 20 personal development, life skills, survival skills, respect for nature and leadership skills. Eddie Mei, Chairperson for the Motu Moana Green Bay Scout Group, which is located in the Auckland suburb of Green Bay, says the organisation is extremely grateful.”We got the tents made after receiving the funding and it is unbelievable how much use they have been getting so far.” He says the tents are very high quality and will also be used at national scout jamborees and camping expeditions throughout New Zealand. “These tents will provide children with safe and secure shelters for years to come. They are solid enough to stand strong in all weather conditions,” says Mr Mei. The tents are also available for use at the Group’s Green Bay site by scout groups from the greater Auckland region as well as other groups and organisations within the community.

March 2007 Recipients
Kidz First Children’s Hospital

Aucklanders dug deep into their pockets in the lead up to Christmas to put smiles on the faces of sick children spending Christmas at Kidz First Children’s Hospital. The Mazda Foundation invited people to purchase an extra gift while out Christmas shopping for the children at Kidz First and the tills rang in response. A Mazda CX-7 vehicle stationed at Westfield shopping malls around Auckland was filled to the brim with presents which were delivered to Kidz First Children’s Hospital in Manukau City – in time for Christmas. “We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of people,” said Pamela Tregonning, Executive Director for the South Auckland Health Foundation. “It has brought happiness and excitement to these youngsters’ lives at a time when they most need it.” Kidz First, at Manukau’s Middlemore Hospital, has an 82 bed inpatient facility and specialises in burns, plastics and orthopaedic treatment and has a Neonatal Unit for premature and critically ill newborns. Each year 11,000 children are admitted to Kidz First and 20,000 are treated in one of the busiest emergency departments in the Southern Hemisphere. Christmas is a particularly busy time with lots of new patient admissions.