The New Zealand Community Charitable Trust
The New Zealand Community Charitable Trust (NZCCT) is dedicated to fostering inclusion, cultural celebration, and wellbeing within Aotearoa’s diverse communities. Their mission is to connect, support, and uplift multi-ethnic communities through meaningful engagement, particularly focusing on older adults and newer migrants.
The Trust primarily serves multicultural communities in Auckland, with a strong focus on seniors and migrant families. They have a long-standing relationship with the local elderly community, while increasingly expanding to include wider ethnic populations through public events.
Before connecting with ANCAD, NZCCT had consistently delivered small-scale, community-focused events, such as their well-loved annual Elderly Christmas Tea Party, which has been running for seven years. These gatherings provide social connection, celebration, and community spirit for older members of ethnic communities.
While NZCCT had experience running smaller community events, they faced challenges in scaling their operations and managing finances in a more structured, funder-compliant way. They also lacked confidence in budgeting for larger events and understanding grant accountability requirements.
The Trust aspired to run their first large-scale multicultural outdoor event and realised they needed guidance to manage funding, improve their financial systems, and ensure proper accountability. This ambition prompted them to connect with ANCAD for structured support.
They had experience running smaller indoor community events, particularly the Elderly Christmas Tea Party. However, the multicultural celebration at Takapuna Beach was their first outdoor event of that scale and complexity.
The Trust learned about ANCAD through ANCAD’s Eva Chen (Community Accounting Lead) from other community organisations and funder networks. Their growing aspiration to serve a broader audience led them to explore new support options, where ANCAD’s Community Accounting Programme stood out as a practical and accessible service.
Their desire to build stronger financial management skills and grow their impact in the local community led them to seek out guidance. The opportunity to receive hands-on support tailored to community groups gave them confidence to take on something bigger.
They were paired with a volunteer team from the Community Accounting Programme, including an accounting mentor and student support, who helped them develop key templates and review their event budgets. We put together a Chinese speaking team to help their key lead, Misty.
ANCAD provided support in budgeting, event cost planning, and financial tracking. They also helped NZCCT understand how to report on grants properly and manage income and expenses using basic accounting tools, laying the foundation for good financial governance.
Support was delivered through one-on-one meetings over several weeks leading up to the event. The team walked them through budgeting processes, offered templates, and gave feedback on draft financial plans. Having access to clear, simplified budgeting templates and guidance on how to align event spending with funder expectations was particularly helpful. The advice demystified what had previously seemed overwhelming.
The event was envisioned as a celebration of Auckland’s ethnic diversity, bringing together families, performers, and food vendors for a vibrant, open-air festival. It was a space where newcomers and established communities could mingle, showcase culture, and build connections.
The event attracted a diverse audience and featured music, dance, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities. Ethnic food stalls and community booths added to the festive atmosphere. The scale and engagement level exceeded expectations.
This event significantly raised their profile – local residents, council representatives, and other organisations took notice of the Trust’s work. The visibility also helped open doors for future collaborations and funding conversations.
The event also facilitated new relationships with local council units, cultural advisors, and other community partners. The success of the event also enhanced the Trust’s credibility with funders and community stakeholders.
The Trust is now more strategic and confident in planning events and managing budgets. They’ve developed better financial habits and a clearer understanding of funding accountability, which they’ve applied to other initiatives. They’ve expressed greater confidence in planning, applying for funding, and ensuring financial transparency. This foundation has empowered them to dream bigger for their community.
Inspired by their successful Takapuna Beach event, the Trust is exploring other multicultural festivals and intergenerational programmes to engage wider audiences and promote social inclusion.
They’ve found ANCAD’s support to be practical, culturally respectful, and empowering. They encourage other grassroots groups to access the programme to build their capability and confidence.
