WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT COUNCIL

WBOPDC embraces a diverse geographical area of urban, coastal and rural settlements stretching from Bowentown to Otamarakau. Western Bay is one New Zealand’s fastest growing districts and at last count had a resident population of 43,692.

The Council has a diverse and talented pool of 205 staff with expertise across engineering, planning, communication, customer services, utilities, project management, recreation, resource management, cultural relationships, building, IT and much more. On any given day, the customer services staff help about 700 customers through phone calls, emails, after hours contacts and face-to-face interaction.

The Council pride’s itself on great service, strong governance and their work to nurture our District’s social, cultural, environmental and economic strengths. Their vision is to continue helping Western Bay to be a great place to live, learn, work and play.

TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL

Tauranga is New Zealand’s fifth-largest and fastest-growing city, and home to around 124,600 people. Tauranga City Council’s community outcomes describe what Tauranga will look and feel like in the future: a talented and innovative city full of opportunity; a city with heart and soul; and a city of great spaces, places and environments.

Tauranga City Council is made up of two separate parts that work together for the benefit of the citizens who live here. The first part is the elected members (‘the Council’) – consisting of a Mayor and ten councillors. The elected members make decisions, on behalf of the citizens, to meet the needs of the entire Tauranga community.

The second part is the organisation – (also ‘the Council’) – consisting of staff who provide the services and the facilities/projects – which deliver on the decisions made by the elected members as we work together toward the community outcomes.

TECT

As a community-focused trust, TECT provides support for local initiatives, facilities and events that bring vibrancy, connectedness, growth and economic benefits to the region. Their transformational funding process brings life to grassroots organisations and large-scale multi-million-dollar projects alike.

TECT supports innovation in the community, building a region that is the envy of all others. Now at approximately $1 billion, the TECT fund is one of the largest in the country, significantly contributing to the creation of a region from which, not only current residents will benefit, but future generations. This is something of which everyone can feel proud because we all make this happen through collective support of TECT’s community distributions.

The Western Bay’s growing needs in terms of infrastructure, both physically and socially, are only going to increase, which is where TECT plays an increasingly critical role.

BAYTRUST

BayTrust’s purpose is to accelerate bold meaningful change, assisting BOP communities and the environment to flourish. Their area is from Katikati to Turangi to Cape Runaway including Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga and Whakatane.

The Trust has a fund of approximately $250m (at 31 March 2022) invested in a carefully planned, diversified way, both locally and globally. Returns from these investments form the Trust’s income and are distributed to Bay of Plenty community groups by way of grants (and sometimes loans).

The Trustees aim to re-invest enough income each year to cover inflation and some population growth in the Bay of Plenty, plus in good income years to put some funds aside to cover grants in poorer income years.

BayTrust’s income is primarily spent on community groups serving the Bay of Plenty, in order to help build, strengthen and enhance present and future BOP communities. They generally aim to distribute approximately three per cent of their capital base per year.

ACORN FOUNDATION

The Acorn Foundation is one of 17 community foundations across Aotearoa New Zealand that provide a unique way of charitable giving.

Their Smarter Giving Model involves pooling and collectively investing their donors’ funds, so that the capital in the fund remains intact, while a portion of the income is distributed annually to the local community. This means that Acorn Foundation’s donors’ gifts continue to give back to causes close to their hearts, forever.

Many of the 400+ donors have set up endowments that leave money to the community when they die, while other donors get a lot of pleasure out of seeing their money at work while they are still alive. Donors can choose to support the community through local charitable organisations in the WBOP or by establishing scholarships and awards.

SIMPSON GRIERSON

Simpson Grierson is one of New Zealand’s leading commercial law firms, and also one of the largest. They have over 330 staff, including 50 partners and more than 180 other legal staff, in their Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch offices.

Simpson Grierson are a full-service law firm and proud of their  reputation for providing expert, yet practical, advice across all areas of commercial law. They are a “plain English” firm.

Simpson Grierson are a firm of specialists. Their  clients do not receive employment advice from a general commercial litigator, construction advice from a property lawyer, or tax advice from a mergers and acquisitions specialist. Their large size means they can resource their teams with specialist lawyers in every commercial area. Simpson Grierson work to attract and retain talented people to support this approach.

WILLIAM BUCK

William Buck is a leading network of accountants and advisors with offices in Auckland, Tauranga and across Australia. Their team has the ability to offer a full range of integrated business and financial services including Audit & Assurance, Business Advisory and Tax.

Throughout their history, they have continued to assist individuals, progressive clients and community organisations, with a particular focus on the middle market. Remaining true to their core client base has enabled them to develop a depth of knowledge and expertise specific to their clients’ needs.