Craigs Investment Partners Continues Festive Tradition of Workplace Giving

Craigs Investment Partners has delivered again this holiday season, with their Workplace Giving programme supporting three more local charities through Kura Tāwhiti – Canterbury Community Foundation. The yearly initiative redirects traditional Christmas gifting toward meaningful community support, contributing more than $7,500 to charitable organisations in the Canterbury region in 2025. 

Craigs' Workplace Giving allows employees to donate a portion of their monthly pay to support local charities, matched by Craigs Investment Partners up to $500 per employee per year. Since 2020, the programme has collectively donated over $1 million to charities nationwide. 

Three of this year’s recipients were chosen by the Craigs Investment Partners Christchurch branch, who collaborated with Kura Tāwhiti to select charities that are making a difference in the lives of Cantabrians.

As the community foundation for Christchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri, Kura Tāwhiti’s local connections and familiarity with regional issues puts the Foundation in a unique position to advise and facilitate donations. This year’s beneficiaries were Hoa Motuhake Sports Trust, Ready to Learn, and the Christchurch Women's Centre. 

As demand for community services increases and the funding landscape evolves, providing the right vehicle and support to enable ongoing charitable work can have far-reaching impact. Lynne Umbers, Kura Tāwhiti CEO, expressed her appreciation for Craigs Investment Partners’ unerring commitment to local giving. “We are delighted to support Craigs Investment Partners to distribute the funds raised through their Workplace Giving program, locally to charities, which will make such a difference in our community.”  

Hoa Motuhake Sports Trust delivers a sports mentoring programme for at-risk tamariki aged 8–12. The Trust helps children who would benefit from extra support to stay involved in community sports, covering club registrations and fees, supplying essential equipment, matching participants with mentors and removing financial barriers to sports participation for up to five years.  Founder Sandy van Heyningen said the Trust was “incredibly grateful” to Craigs Investment Partners for their generous donation, which helped fund Hoa Motuhake’s highly anticipated annual Christmas party, including gifts, food, and a visit from Santa for the sixty tamariki and rangatahi currently enrolled. 

The impact is equally profound for Ready to Learn, whose name says it all. Administered by the Rotary Club of Rangiora and the North Canterbury Principals’ Group, the programme ensures that every child is “ready to learn” by removing socioeconomic barriers in the classroom.  Ready to Learn gives children the opportunity to attend school with the correct uniform, footwear, and stationery, ensuring they have the best possible start to their primary education. Thanks to the generosity of the Craigs’ Workplace Giving donation, ten more children will have uniforms covered by Ready to Learn next year.  

The Women’s Centre used the donation to recognise the many volunteers who are the backbone of its counselling and support services. This year alone, the Centre has supported more than 3,500 women across Christchurch, providing accessible counselling and therapy alongside personal development workshops. Women’s Centre Manager, Doreen Lehmann, said the donation was “pure relief,” allowing the organisation to “honour our volunteer counsellors and the energy they give to each woman's healing in life.”  

Craigs Investment Partners has supported the New Zealand community foundation ecosystem since the early 2000s. As a founding principal sponsor of Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand (CFANZ), they've helped nurture a network that now encompasses 18 community foundations nationwide. Across the motu, these foundations play a pivotal role in promoting local philanthropy, strengthening communities, and effecting sustainable, positive change within their respective regions. 

The continued success of Craigs Investment Partners’ Workplace Giving demonstrates how businesses can make a meaningful difference in their communities through structured giving programmes. Kura Tāwhiti – Canterbury Community Foundation is proud to facilitate this meaningful initiative that connects generous corporate donors with organisations working at the grassroots level to support their communities. 

If your business is interested in launching a similar giving initiative, or exploring closer community partnerships, we’d love to help you get started. Join our In Business, For Good programme and turn your organisation’s values into real, lasting impact.