Our Purpose
To accelerate bold meaningful change, assisting BOP communities and the environment to flourish.
Our Priorities
We commit to:
- Using all of our resources including investments, personnel and granting to progress our priorities
- Operate in true partnerships with our communities
- Being bold, flexible, innovative and to provide leadership
- Live and practice our Kaupapa in everything we do
- Become a climate responsible (Tiakina te ao turoa) organisation
- Work with Māori in a way that is consistent with the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi; partnership, protection and participation
Priorities in detail
Kaitiakitanga

We will commit to practising Kaitiakitanga to protect and improve our natural environment for future generations. This means we support:
- Programmes or initiatives that seek to address climate change implications, including culture change, leadership and awareness
- Community-led environmental initiatives
- Activities that support communities to sustainably manage their natural resources
Community Wellbeing

BayTrust values community and cultural wellbeing, recognising that supporting and enabling those in need is beneficial for all. We believe our communities will flourish when they are equitable, vibrant, fun and safe. This means that we support:
Strong Communities
Through programmes that:
- Seek to promote equity and enable access to opportunities and are working to affect positive change for Bay of Plenty communities
- Address the needs of parents, whānau and children, who are vulnerable, at risk and/or with high needs
- Support communities to make positive choices around drugs and alcohol use, and that work toward supporting communities where this has become a negative issue
- Support and promote inclusivity
Safe and Active Communities
By supporting community-based:
- Land, water safety and survival organisations and activities
- Programmes that help keep people safe in their neighbourhoods
- Programmes that help keep people safe online
- Sport BOP and its CoachForce programme
- Sports and recreational activities that are not supported by Sport BOP where the activity is an integral and important part of that community and is easily accessible by all
Strengthened Community Organisations
Funding activities that:
- Build the capacity and capability of community organisations and social enterprises
- Encourage and support volunteerism
Vibrant and Fun Communities
- Community driven arts, cultural and heritage opportunities / activities that enrich the lives of communities through active participation and inclusion
- Events up to $15,000 maximum where the majority of the below elements are present:
- A free to the public component
- That reflects the interests of a high % of the community
- Outreach to schools or youth involvement
- Local community involvement in the organisation and delivery of the event
- High volunteer involvement
- Where BayTrust funding will make a material difference to the event
- That have material economic development spin off
Healthy, Secure and Affordable Housing
We value healthy, secure and affordable housing as a fundamental right. We believe everybody in the BOP should be housed in suitable, adequate and affordable accommodation that fits their whanau and cultural requirements. We support programmes that:
- Take a community approach to address sub-standard housing and the impact of a lack of affordable housing
Healthy, Secure and Affordable Housing

We value healthy, secure and affordable housing as a fundamental right. We believe everybody in the BOP should be housed in suitable, adequate and affordable accommodation that fits their whanau and cultural requirements.
We support programmes that take a community approach to address sub-standard housing and the impact of a lack of affordable housing.
Tū Maori Mai

Māori in Bay of Plenty are supported to achieve their aspirations and enabled to empower their whanau and wider community to create an abundant future for themselves, te taiao (natural world), and Te Ao Māori.
We fund projects or programs that:
- Programmes or initiatives that seek to address climate change implications, including culture change, leadership and awareness
- Run Wananga / workshops on local Māori histories that help enhance cultural knowledge and understanding;
- Contributes towards Marae as part of a works programme;
- Te Reo and Te Ao Māori flourish – Ko te Reo te mauri o te mana Māori;
- Mātauranga Māori and Kaitiakitanga are considered in all key decisions;
- Māori wellbeing and Te Ao Māori perspectives are put to the forefront;
- Support Māori housing aspirations are supported with the goal of intergenerational benefit;
- Enable Māori to have equal access to opportunities and Māori aspirations are supported;