The Heritage Foundation

HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Investing in change for the future

Throughout the challenges of the last year, the pride, compassion and generosity of the Diocesan community has continued to be on display. The Diocesan Heritage Foundation has played its part, with our Dio Together campaign overwhelming us with your support and reminding us of what an amazing community we have.

Since its inception in 2001, the Foundation has been overseen by a number of passionate and experienced trustees, many of them parents of Diocesan students, who see their role as a way to give back to the School and the Diocesan community.

In 2020, under the leadership of previous chair David Gibson, the Heritage Foundation undertook a review. One of the key goals was to add new trustees with specialist investment and funds management experience, along with an understanding of the important philanthropic role of the Foundation. We have added specialist investment, funds management and business experience. We are privileged to have committed and talented people come on board, contributing their time and their expertise in support of the Foundation.

Simon Plowman is a founding partner of the private investment firm Evergreen and is a director of several private companies. Simon is a trustee for Rotoroa Island.

Carlie Eve is a founding member of the investment team at Mint Asset Management. Carlie has more than 27 years’ experience in the financial sector, focusing primarily on funds management and equity research.

Rebecca Cottrell is the chief operating officer and a principal at NZ Funds. Rebecca has over 20 years’ experience in executive roles across the finance industry in New Zealand and Australia, including as a partner at Goldman Sachs JBWere. Mike Bayley is managing director for Bayley Corporation Limited. Mike has significant experience in the property industry, both within New Zealand and internationally. Mike is a trustee of the Keystone Trust and Bayleys Foundation charities.

David Gibson retired from the Heritage Foundation in June and we want to acknowledge his leadership and guidance.

We have also farewelled four trustees over the past year – Jane Williams, Chris Yao, Scott Carter and Sarah Giltrap – who have all played a valuable role during their tenure on the Foundation, including the successful completion of the Arts Centre campaign. Their time and expertise have been much appreciated and on behalf of the School, we thank them for their significant contribution.

The Foundation is fortunate that existing trustee Glenn Joblin has stepped into the acting chair’s role.

The Foundation has strong governance structures to support the future strategic direction of the School. This includes careful stewardship of the Heritage Foundation’s funds. The approach is one of a long-term investment horizon that aims to grow the value of a diversified portfolio over the long term. The Foundation plays an important role to support Diocesan by attracting, administering and coordinating donations, endowments and bequests to the School and growing a culture of philanthropy across the community.

We are pleased to report that following a formal tender process late last year, EriksensGlobal has been appointed as the new investment consultant to the Foundation. They are a leading investment advisory firm and specialise in giving professional and tailored advice to wholesale investors such as charitable trusts and superannuation funds. EriksensGlobal has assisted the Foundation to review and update its investment objectives and implement a new diversified fund management strategy involving investments in a number of funds. The investment strategy of the Foundation is positioned for the future, with access to this specialist independent advice from EriksensGlobal.

Acknowledging the traditions of Diocesan’s almost 120-year history while looking ahead to the future, the Heritage Foundation supports the School’s strategic direction.

THE NEXT20YEARS

The Diocesan Heritage Foundation was established to bring our community together and enhance opportunities for all girls to grow the courage and confidence they need to positively shape the future.

It’s now 20 years old. Over the last 12 months, we’ve taken the opportunity to step back, review and refresh the Foundation.

In doing so, we were once again reminded of the incredible spirit and generosity of the Diocesan community, which has helped our School, students and staff to realise so many amazing things.

From the arts to sports, scholarships and support for students and staff to participate and develop their potential and to the successful Grand Circle campaign for our magnificent Arts Centre, the Diocesan Heritage Foundation has played an essential role in the betterment of our School. And we couldn’t have done it without the generous support from our donors and contributors. Thank you!

As we move forward into the next 20 years, our aim remains to support our students and our School community projects with the greatest need or the most potential. We have reframed our focus into three areas that we believe will best ensure that our students have the resources to learn and grow:

SCHOLARSHIPS AND SUPPORT

Create opportunities for talented and deserving students to reach their full potential.

SPORTS AND THE ARTS

Enhance opportunities for students to expand their cultural growth or sporting excellence.

OUR FUTURE AND FACILITIES

Support our investment in world-class facilities and the future independence of our School with the Chapel at its heart.

As the world re-opens, we look forward to the Foundation being able to once again hold events and award grants that help realise the potential for our School, students and staff, both in New Zealand and on the international stage.

The School and the Foundation wish to thank our many donors who continue to support the School, the students and staff in so many different ways. Your gifts will last a lifetime.

Thanks for understanding.

Thanks to you, students had the support they needed to complete their academic year, in spite of things unexpectedly changing at home. Your gift will last a lifetime. Diocesan.school.nz/heritage-foundation