Charity House Project
The Charity House project, which has been running since 2013, meets one of Rotary’s key areas of focus to enhance humanitarian service by participating in a local service project related to economic and community development.
Community Benefits from Charity House Fund
A range of charitable organisations across Rotorua have had a cash injection thanks to the Toi Ohomai Charity House Project.
The Charity House project began in 2013 and since its inception, it has provided hundreds of ākonga (students) with hands-on learning opportunities while also benefiting the wider community.
One house has been built per year by carpentry ākonga at Toi Ohomai with the support of industry partners, it is then sold with the proceeds being distributed to Rotorua community groups.
In addition to a range of industry supporters, Toi Ohomai partners with Rotary Rotorua Sunrise Charitable Trust to distribute the funds.
This year, more than $25,000 was distributed to various Rotorua organisations including Rotorua Mountain Bike Club, Plunket and Age Concern.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell, Toi Ohomai Tumu Whenua | Executive Director Kieran Hewitson and Rotary Rotorua Sunrise representative Heinz Fett announced this year’s funding recipients at an event at Toi Ohomai recently.
Rotorua’s St Chads Lifeskills Hub received $6203 to help with making their building more accessible.
St Chads supports people with disabilities to gain greater independence and learn and maintain valuable life skills. They also prioritise improving health and well-being and interacting meaningfully with the community.
St Chads Lifeskills Hub General Manager Kath Curran says they were very grateful to receive funding towards building an exit ramp outside the back of their building.
“While we are at the standards for emergency exits, our Art Room is very popular and having another exit ramp that caters for wheelchair accessibility, as well as people using other mobility devices, adds another level of safety should we need this emergency exit.”
House of Science was awarded $4,666 and Resource Designer and Operations Manager Jane Hoggard says this funding will purchase a new science resource kit for the local Rotorua Lakes House of Science library.
“The House of Science is a charitable trust that aims to see every child in New Zealand become scientifically literate. This means they have a clear understanding of science concepts and processes in their daily lives.
“We want to keep children curious and teach them how to think critically. We do this by providing primary and intermediate schools around New Zealand with relevant, comprehensive, bilingual resource kits containing all the materials needed to carry out engaging science lessons in the classroom.
“The support of organisations like the Charity House is invaluable in ensuring that our resources remain accessible to as many schools and students as possible around New Zealand.”
Toi Ohomai Events and Engagement Manager Megan Wheeler says this project and its community outcomes wouldn’t be possible without the support from industry and trade partners.
“We are so grateful to our wonderful partners for their support. Many of them have been with us since this project started in 2013.
“Their support helps us to provide quality hands on learning opportunities for our ākonga, as well as enabling us to support our community with much needed funding.”
2023 Charity House proceeds were awarded to:
- Age Concern Rotorua – $1,886.00
- EquiSucceed NZ. Formally Rotorua RDA – $3,270.00
- House of Science Rotorua – $4,666.67
- Parksyde Older Persons Community Centre Trust – $1,535.68
- Rotorua Mountain Bike Club Inc – $2,500.00
- Rotorua Rowing Club – $1,006.25
- Royal New Zealand Plunket Trust Rotorua – $2,000.00
- Rural Support Trust BOP – $2,500.00
- St Chads Communication Centre Trust – $6,203.00
Charity House Industry Partners & Suppliers
The Charity House Project would not be possible without the following industry partners and suppliers:
- Carpet Court Rotorua
- Hepburn Electrical Ltd
- Hume Pine (NZ) Ltd
- Hydroflow
- John Chittenden Design
- Kohla
- Lee Brothers Cabinets & Joinery
- Lighting Direct
- Marley NZ
- Mitre 10 Mega Rotorua
- Plumbing World
- Eves (formerly Professionals McDowell Real Estate)
- Redstag Timber
- Resene Paints
- Rheem NZ
- Roofing Industries (Taupo) Ltd
- Rylock Bay of Plenty
- Foley’s Rotorua – Plumbing, Gasfitting, Drainlaying
- Dora Remmerswaal
- NZ Scaffolding
- Coldrick Roofing Limited
- Barry Anderson Plastering
- Buteline NZ
- Greens Tapware
- Bradford Gold Insulation
- GIB NZ
Benefits to Community
The Charity House goes under the hammer at a charity auction. All proceeds go to the Rotary Club of Rotorua Sunrise, the designated local charitable trust, to manage the distribution of funds to local charities.
Between 2013 – 2019, Charity House proceeds were awarded to:
- Age Concern Rotorua
- Alzheimer’s Rotorua Inc
- Aratika Cancer Trust
- Bay of Plenty Disabled Sailing Trust
- Bay Trust Rescue Helicopter
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rotorua
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Combined Rotary Clubs of Rotorua Charitable Trust
- Eastern Suburbs Pre-School Charitable Trust
- Kai Rotorua
- Kidscan Charitable Trust
- Lakes Medical Services Trust
- Linton Park Community Centre
- Love Soup Rotorua
- Manaaki Ora
- Mokoia Community Assn
- My Future Rocks
- Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Ngongotaha Community Patrol
- Once Chance Charitable Trust
- Parkinson’s Central Plateau Division
- Parkinson’s NZ
- Rotorua Children’s Art House
- Rotorua Citizens Advice Bureau
- Rotorua Community Menz Shed Trust
- Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust
- Rotorua District Riding for the Disabled Assn Inc
- Rotorua Emergency Response Team
- Rotorua Hospital Chaplaincy Trust
- Rotorua Mountain Bike Club
- Rotorua Musical Theatre Inc
- Rotorua SPCA
- Rotorua Youth Centre
- Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
- Society of St Vincent De Paul
- Spoonful of Sugar Charitable Trust
- Stand Children’s Services
- Te Ahuru Mowai Rotorua School for Young Parents
- Te Roopu A Iwi O Te Arawa
- The Salvation Army Rotorua
- Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust Rotorua
- Waiariki Women’s Refuge
- Western Heights Community Association
- Western Heights Primary School Oral Language Programme
- Work Matters Trust
“This is an exciting and unique community project for Rotary Rotorua Sunrise to work along-side students training to become our next generation of tradespeople and designers. Carpenters are in short supply in New Zealand and with the current housing crisis and the demand for housing across New Zealand at the top of the government’s priority list, this collaboration is important to our economy and community”, says Sue Gunn, Past President and Charity House Project Coordinator.
“The students love this experience – the hands-on learning, working under close supervision of the tutors, gaining new skills that will go towards their qualification and apprenticeship, working on building a real house that will become a home with a family living in it for many years to come”, says Malcolm Frost, past Carpentry Programme Manager at Toi Ohomai.
“This pre-trade carpentry course, which included working on the charity House has been a really useful steppingstone for me as I came in not knowing anything at all and now, I have been taught enough to move on to an apprenticeship. I have learnt a lot here at Toi Ohomai because although there are theoretical aspects, most of it is practical and caters to the way I learn best. There’s so many opportunities in the trades, it’s a great space to build a career and to eventually run my own business”, says Chance Bock, graduate of Toi Ohomai and now doing an apprenticeship with a local builder.