SHORT 'Finding Purpose in Unlikely Places' Ned Wills CEO Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with NedWills, on an unexpected place his community engagement journey began, and what it taught him about ethics, incentives, and connecting elite sport to grassroots impact. Ned’s eyes were first opened to community work through anunlikely route: working in the oil industry in the early 2000s. Large infrastructure projects in unstable parts of the world meant companies had to invest heavily before seeing any return, which made getting community relationsright a genuine commercial priority, not just good PR. That put Ned at an unusual intersection of sponsorship and community engagement early in his career. What struck him most was the people. Despite working for anindustry that’s easy to criticise from the outside, he found many of his colleagues to be genuinely community-minded, regularly navigating real ethical dilemmas with care. There was a constant tension between commercial pressure todeliver shareholder returns and a genuine desire to make sure the impact on local communities was a positive one. That early exposure to ethical complexity has stayed withNed throughout his career, and it shows up clearly in his work today at Laureus Sport for Good. The Laureus World Sports Awards bring the glitz, but the real work happens at the other end of the scale entirely: taking the inspiration andpassion the world feels watching athletes like Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic and Usain Bolt, and channelling it into young people navigating war, violence, gang crime, and lack of access to education and healthcare. The question Nedkeeps coming back to is how sport’s emotional power can be harnessed to help young people change their own lives, and their communities, for the better. This episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments.Key Themes

Welcoming Liz Gibbs, CEO Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, to Purposely Podcast. Burnett Foundation is the organisation on a mission to get New Zealand to zero HIV transmission by 2030, while ensuring LGBTQ+ communities have the best possible health and wellbeing.The conversation starts with the foundation's origin story. Formerly the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, it was set up 40 years ago by three men, including Bruce Burnett, a New Zealander who returned home from San Francisco with HIV and chose to travel the length of the country talking openly about the epidemic at a time when almost nobody else would. His advocacy, and the work that followed, has saved lives and helped shape New Zealand's response to HIV ever since.Liz talks about where New Zealand sits globally, doing comparatively well with around 95 locally acquired cases in 2024, but still around 15 years behind best practice when it comes to access to modern medication. She covers the science behind U equals U, undetectable equals untransmittable, and the gap between what the evidence says and what the law still allows, including current criminalisation settings around disclosure.Liz reflects on growing up in a household shaped by her father's experiences in India, an upbringing built around curiosity, openness and an instinct to help, and how that led her into a career spanning Save the Children, Philanthropy New Zealand, Selwyn Foundation and now Burnett Foundation.Towards the end, the conversation moves into impact investing and innovation. Liz talks about the Burnett Foundation's current Innovation Challenge, which is inviting community organisations, technologists and social entrepreneurs to bring new thinking to old problems, and shares lessons from a similar initiative at Selwyn Foundation that led to a successful equity investment in a New Zealand tech company.This episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments NZ.

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with Rose Challies – founder and director of Terra Nova Foundation – on the uncomfortable truths about how philanthropy actually works, and what it would look like if funders finally put people at the centre.Rose has a view that cuts through a lot of the noise in this space: we’re not funding projects. We’ve never been funding projects. We’re funding humans to do change making. The sooner philanthropy gets honest about that, the sooner we’ll start backing the right things in the right ways.She’s direct about the damage done by short-term funding. A 12-month grant is effectively a six-month grant, because six months in, people are already scanning the job pages. The people holding up some of the most important work in our communities have no security, and the sector treats that as normal. Rose doesn’t.On the power dynamics in philanthropy, she’s clear-eyed. If you control resources that someone else needs, that is a power relationship, whether you intend it to be or not. The best funders understand this and work actively to shift it. The rest… don’t always notice.Rose also challenges the widespread assumption that philanthropic expertise is somehow optional. She compares it to medicine: we all have some understanding of health, but we don’t all call ourselves doctors. Understanding what poverty or environmental harm looks like from the outside is different from understanding how to change it. That distinction matters, and the sector doesn’t always honour it.And on the ‘no core funding’ trend she’s seeing from more and more funders: please pay the people doing the work. Even a contribution to someone’s salary, alongside others, makes a difference. Refusing to fund people while demanding their expertise and impact is, in Rose’s words, the biggest travesty in the sector right now.Key Themes• Why philanthropy funds people, not projects – and why we should say so• The real cost of 12-month grants and the insecurity baked into charity work• Power dynamics in funder-grantee relationships – and how to navigate them• Philanthropic expertise as a genuine discipline – not a nice-to-have• The ‘no core funding’ trend and why it undermines the sector• Backing change makers directly: what it looks like and why it works• The difference between administrative grant making and change making philanthropy• New Zealand as a place to try things – and why that opportunity is worth protectingThis episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments.

Welcoming Helen Hughes to Purposely Podcast, Chief Executive and Tai Oroni of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, one of New Zealand's most remarkable conservation stories and the world's largest pest-proof fenced sanctuary, sitting in the Waikato near Cambridge.3363 hectares of restored native forest. 47 kilometres of predator-proof fencing. Kiwi, kokako, giant weta and hundreds of native species finding their footing again in a forest that had lost its voice. The ecological work at Maungatautari is extraordinary. But this conversation is just as much about the human story behind it, and the very real challenge of keeping something this significant financially alive.Helen came to this role after a life that took her from London investment banking to IT support, insurance, a sausage roll factory, and eventually the government's billion trees programme. It was not a straight line, and she is the first to say that the foundation for where she is now was not laid in her childhood but in a period of profound personal loss that sent her into the forest to heal.In this conversation Helen and Mark get into the origin story of the sanctuary, how a community in the Waikato took an audacious idea and built something the world has not seen before, and the relationship with iwi that sits at the heart of everything the sanctuary does. The process of tono, iwi to iwi conversation before any translocation takes place, is one of the more quietly moving things discussed in the episode.Helen also talks openly about what she walked into as CEO. A funding model that had not kept pace with rising costs, a significant operating loss, cash flow at times sitting at just two weeks, and a team that needed steadying. She made the call to go public with the financial reality and talks about why that was the right decision even when it was a hard one.From there the conversation moves to what she has done to turn things around: growing the tourism business, building out the native nursery, creating on-site accommodation, developing an education programme that now reaches thousands of students a year, and exploring the early promise of biodiversity credits as a potential new way of funding conservation at scale. She is clear that the work is not done and that the pressure is constant.What comes through is someone who cares deeply about the place, is clear eyed about the challenges still ahead, and is not short of determination to see it through.This episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments NZ.

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with Duncan Matthews – founder of Good Numbers – on funder reporting, the pain of being a volunteer treasurer, and why small charities deserve better tools.Duncan opens with a familiar frustration: tier four charities – those under $140,000 in annual expenditure – are everywhere in Aotearoa (around 15,000 on the charities register alone), yet virtually no software has been built with them in mind. Small in money, perhaps. But not small in impact.He talks about the reality of funder reporting – and how wildly it varies. Foundation North makes it simple.Gaming trusts? Not so much. Some require receipts, bank statements, and proof of every expenditure. That’s hours of work, printing and highlighting and photo-taking, just to stay compliant and keep the grants flowing. Good Numbersis built to make that whole workflow dramatically easier.And then there’s the treasurer problem. Duncan has sat on four nonprofit boards at once – because the role isa “guaranteed vacancy.” Nobody wants it. It’s not because people don’t care; it’s because the tools make it needlessly hard. The xRB reporting standards that arrived in 2013 were a step forward, but most small organisations still struggle to match their old categories to the new ones. Duncan’s insight: if complex tasks can be made easy in other parts of life, why not here?Good Numbers is his answer – a purpose-built tool that turns bookkeeping and funder reporting from a chore into something close to effortless. Because more time on compliance means less time on mission. And that’s a problem worth solving.•   Why tier four charities are underserved – and what’s atstake when reporting feels impossible•     The xRB reporting standards that changed everything,and why many small organisations still struggle•      The real cost of funder reporting – from gaming trustrequirements to highlighting bank statements•    Why the volunteer treasurer role is a “guaranteedvacancy” – and how to change that•   Good Numbers: bookkeeping built for small charities,not adapted for them•   Making compliance easier so organisations can focus onwhat actually mattersThis episode ofPurposely is brought to you by Benevity.Find Duncan and Good Numbers at goodnumbers.nz – including a free 15-minute demo booking.Key Themes

Welcoming Ned Wills, CEO of Laureus Sport for Good, to Purposely Podcast - a global foundation that uses sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage, working with young people across 40 countries through more than 200 programmes, and chaired by All Black legend Sean Fitzpatrick.Laureus was born from Nelson Mandela's words - that sport has the power to change the world - and 25 years on, Ned makes a compelling case that the organisation is more relevant than ever. But this isn't a story about elite athletes and glitzy awards. It's about what actually makes a purpose-driven organisation endure: deep trust with grassroots partners, a community of 400 volunteer sporting ambassadors, and the rare ability to think in 20-year horizons rather than four-year funding cycles.Ned also reflects on his own unconventional path - sailing, the oil industry, running commercial operations at Harlequins Rugby, and back to Laureus as CEO. He talks about what crossing between the for-profit and for-purpose worlds taught him, why he believes traditional philanthropy alone won't get us there, and what Grant Dalton once said to him on a boat that shaped how he leads.Key ThemesWhy the community around Laureus, not the awards, is what's kept it alive for 25 yearsThe productive tension between corporate partners and community organisations, and how to work with it rather than against itLong-term thinking as a leadership asset, what it actually looks like in practiceWhat a stint in elite sport taught him about purpose, performance and what really drives a fanbaseLetting go as a CEO, and why his job is to give talented people the cover to do their best workWhy sport is one of the most cost-effective interventions in the sector, and what resilience has to do with itThe funding and impact questions every for-purpose leader is grappling with right nowThis episode of Purposely is brought to you by Trust Investments your specialist for-purpose investment manager and Benevity, the all-in-one software solution that benefits employees, customers, nonprofits and society.

In this SHORT episode of Purposely, we’re back with fundraising strategist Craig Pollard – and this time he’s asking a question that most of the sector is too busy to sit with: what is enough? Craig opens by naming something that rarely makes it into funding conversations: wellbeing. He works alongside people carrying enormous weight – Afghan exiles, communities under pressure, leaders navigating impossible situations – and he’s clear that the sector often measures and incentives the wrong things. His reframe is: rather than being well-funded, be well and funded. He shares a story from the Joseph Heller obituary that stops you in your tracks. Heller – author of Catch-22 – was once asked how it felt to know a wealthy hedge fund owner earned more in a single day than Heller had made in lifetime book sales. His response? “I have one thing he’ll never have. Enough.” For Craig, this isn’t just a good anecdote. It’s foundational to how nonprofits should think about funding, growth, and impact. On funding strategy, Craig challenges the dominant logic. Most fundraising conversations start with income – which, he argues, is entirely the wrong place to begin. His three-eyes framework – Impact, Investment, Income – reorients everything. Start with impact. Be honest about what you’ve invested. Then income follows naturally, because you’re no longer asking for money – you’re inviting co-investors into something they care about. Craig also challenges the idea of unrestricted funding –bluntly, he says it doesn’t exist. All money has motivation, strings, or designation attached. What organisations can do is move up the quality ladder: from project-level funding, to programme-level funding, to purpose-level funding. That shift takes three to five years, requires strategic clarity, and sometimes means reducing your project funding first. It’s uncomfortable – and it’s exactly right. And a note of caution for those dreaming of a transformational grant: Craig has seen organisations receive MacKenzie Scott-level funding and fall over because they weren’t ready for it.Purpose-level funding doesn’t solve problems – it shifts the type of problem.The transition has to be deliberate, careful, and well-supported. •       Wellbeing and the real cost of the funding treadmill•       Being well and funded – not just well-funded•       ‘Enough’ as a strategic and philosophical foundation•       The three-eyes framework: Impact → Investment → Income•       Why unrestricted funding is a myth – and what to pursue instead

Welcoming Gary Stannett MBE to Purposely Podcast, Chief Executive of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the UK charity that uses sport and the creative arts to open up opportunities for young people in communities that have historically been overlooked and underinvested.Gary came into this work through youth work and community sports development, not through a career plan. He built programmes from the ground up in South London, earned his qualifications alongside the work, and has spent nearly 30 years getting better at something he never expected to turn into a career. That experience shapes how he leads and how the foundation operates.The Rio Ferdinand Foundation was set up around 15 years ago, inspired in part by Rio's mother Janice, who was deeply embedded in community life in Peckham and served as the foundation's chair until her death in 2017. It started with a focus on education and training for young people in London and Manchester, and has since grown to deliver work in Belfast, Derry, Sligo and across the UK and Ireland through partnerships with other organisations.In this conversation, Gary and Mark get into what it actually means to run a charity with a famous name attached to it. The brand opens doors but it does not conjure funding. Every partnership still has to be earned, every impact still has to be evidenced, and there is a constant discipline required to make sure people are engaging with the foundation for the right reasons and not just for access to Rio. Gary is clear-eyed about all of it.He talks about the foundation's model, using football and youth culture as a way in, then moving young people through personal development, accredited training and real pathways into careers. The goal is not a quick programme but a longer journey, connecting young people with industries and employers they might never otherwise encounter, and building the networks and confidence that social mobility actually requires.Gary also reflects on what he has learned about leadership over time, becoming less harsh on himself, stepping back more, and bringing people on the journey rather than pushing them towards a vision they do not yet share. And he talks about young people today, the very real weight of poverty, housing costs, debt and a changing jobs market, alongside the energy, talent and resilience he sees every day that keeps him showing up.Find out more about the Rio Ferdinand Foundation at rioferdinandfoundation.orgThis episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments NZ.

Welcoming Steven Moe to Purposely Podcast — partner at Parry Field Lawyers, founder of the Seeds Podcast, author, event organiser, governance leader, and one of the more consistently active people in New Zealand's for-purpose sector.Steven's career has had two distinct chapters. The first was corporate law - big firms, big transactions, time in Japan, London and Sydney. The second, starting about ten years ago when he returned to Aotearoa, has been something quite different: using the law as a tool to support charities, social enterprises and purpose-driven organisations, while building a body of work around education, connection and community that goes well beyond legal advice.In this conversation, they get into what drove that shift, how Steven thinks about his role as a catalyst for impact, and what it actually looks like to run at the pace he does — four kids, a law partnership, two podcasts, a team of 15, a governance role as Chair of Community Finance, and a conference coming up next month.Steven talks about the career pivot that brought him back to Aotearoa and why that moment became one of reinvention rather than just a change of location. He traces the influences that shaped him — a Peace Corps family, time living in Chile as a child, early exposure to poverty — and how those experiences connect to the work he does now.He makes the case for the law as a tool rather than an end in itself, and explains the thinking behind Parry Field's approach of giving away enormous amounts of free content, resources and events. The serve-and-win model isn't accidental — it's deliberate, and it works.There's a practical thread running through the conversation too. Steven talks about the Pareto Principle and why he'd rather ship something at 80% than spend three times as long perfecting it. He talks about collaboration — why his default is to approach people, say yes, and bring others in rather than trying to do everything alone.On the bigger picture, Steven shares his thinking on Community Finance, which has now raised more than $600 million to house people who would otherwise be on the emergency housing list. He also makes a case for separating housing, health and education from election cycles, and discusses the idea of impact companies — a possible new legal structure that borrows the best from both charities and businesses.They also get into podcasting, parenting four children with intention, and what it means to stay present when there's always more to do. And Steven shares details on the Seeds Impact Conference on 22 May a free online event with around 20 speakers from across the sector. Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/impact-conference-2026Find Steven and the Seeds Podcast at theseeds.nz and Parry Field Lawyers at parryfield.com — including a large library of free legal resources for the for-purpose sector.This episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments NZ.Key Themes

Welcoming Duncan Matthews, founder of Good Numbers, to Purposely Podcast - a purpose-driven fintech built to solve a problem Duncan couldn't stop thinking about after 15 years working in and around small charities in Aotearoa: why is it so hard for volunteer treasurers to do the basics?Good Numbers is a bookkeeping and reporting tool designed specifically for tier four charities - organisations turning over under $140,000 a year. There are thousands of them in New Zealand, and virtually no software built with them in mind. Duncan is changing that.In this episode, Duncan talks about the pain points he witnessed firsthand at Rainbow Youth and Foundation North, why tools like Xero leave small nonprofits behind, and what it really feels like to back your own idea for the first time — after years of backing everyone else's.Key Themes• Why tier four charities are underserved - and what's at stake when reporting feels impossible• The xRB reporting standards that changed everything, and why most small organisations still struggle with them• What Xero gets wrong for nonprofits — and the gap Good Numbers is built to fill• Open banking, co-founders, and the realities of self-funding a purpose-driven startup• The trust deficit between funders and grantees - and why it runs both ways• From Rainbow Youth to Foundation North: a career spent in the engine room of the sector• What it takes to finally back yourself