Kura Tāwhiti Foundation Welcomes Tania Anderson to Board

Tania Anderson helps people think better and differently – an immensely valuable skill she will soon bring to Kura Tāwhiti – Canterbury Community Foundation as our newest Trustee.

Tania is a seasoned systems designer, evaluator, and governance professional focused on social innovation and outcomes. With nearly 20 years’ experience across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, she specialises in designing and supporting change in highly complex social systems, including mental health, disability support, homelessness, addictions, and family and sexual violence services. 

As a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand with considerable governance experience under her belt, her knowledge spans lived experience leadership, collaborative system design, and developmental evaluation and education to help organisations create real, lasting change in their communities.

Tania considers community foundations as vital “third space” entities connecting government, businesses, NGOs and local people to help build community capacity and capability. “Community foundations open new channels for communication and collaboration, which helps ground us in the reality that we are all part of a collective.”

“My career has really helped uncover that there is no ‘them’ to fix things, there is only us. We are all part of the problem; therefore, we are all part of the resolution. Collaboration between community groups can unlock potential that individual actors simply can’t, combining resources, knowledge and energies to revitalise solutions that already exist but may be disaggregated or under-resourced.”

Tania brings an acute systems lens to the role, along with a keen sense of responsibility and awareness of the historical and contextual forces at play. She believes well-governed organisations are those able to navigate complexity, adapt and make difficult decisions with clarity and compassion. 

“Trying to do everything for everyone leads to doing little for few. We need to create space for the right people to do the right thing and let ego take a backseat. This also means letting people decide what their priorities are and devolving community decision-making back into community spaces.”

She sees an ongoing opportunity for Kura Tāwhiti Foundation to deepen its role as a connector and enabler for more coordinated, long-term approaches to giving. This includes a shift toward upstream thinking with a focus on intergenerational impact and enabling channels for two-way communication between the Foundation and the communities we serve.

We believe Tania’s insight and experience will bring a fresh dimension to our organisation in 2026, and we are delighted to welcome her on board.