This is NEXT in four minutes

A summary of our giving journey over ten years.

The back story

NEXT benefactors, Annette and Neal Plowman, have always been generous. Their philanthropy pre-dates NEXT and has been a marker of their lives together.

In the early 1980’s Neal and Annette led the buy-out of Endeavour Services. Neal was the managing director and his family had a large stake in the business. It was at this time that Neal met Chris Liddell, the junior analyst on the initiative. Over the following decades, Chris became a close friend and worked alongside the family – supporting in the growth and eventual sale of the business, fund investment and their desire to give back.

The Plowmans wanted to make a difference for New Zealand, without personal credit and without having their lives impacted by publicity. For many years their generosity was kept under wraps, managed discreetly in a charitable trust. Trustees were asked to not disclose where the philanthropic gifting was coming from (although in time, with the increasing scale of the projects, this was to become necessary).

The Plowmans found a granting niche – catalytic projects requiring large amounts of capital, where governance and management support were required. Those involved had business skills they could contribute and this capacity building became an early point of difference.

Rotoroa Island was the first significant project in this regard and involved the long-term leasing of the island, establishing a trust, coming up with a conservation plan and implementing it. This signalled a shift in approach from the couple’s earlier granting, to being hands on in governance and management.

2. rotoroa island from above, view over ladies bay

Things were to step up another level with Project Janszoon in Abel Tasman, the first significant partnership with the Department of Conservation. As the philanthropy grew in size and complexity, it became clear that more structure was needed. Neal and Annette wanted to take a step back from the decision-making and the opportunity existed to institutionalise and record the experience (and lessons). The decision to establish NEXT followed naturally.

Read more on the NEXT back story here.

Read more on spending down in ten years here.


Vision

NEXT Foundation’s vision was to create a legacy of environmental and educational excellence for the benefit of future generations of New Zealanders.

4. Next Vision

Strategy

The NEXT Theory of Change was that strategic philanthropic investment in transformative, inspirational projects would catalyse and accelerate positive system change.

The Foundation invested in a small number of multi-year initiatives (with a view for transitioning to sustainability), providing multi-year financial and non-financial support. High performance organisations were targeted that were transformational, inspirational and business-like.

NEXT utilised a range of impact tools. These included having targeted focus, backing and building strong governance and project management capability within the supported initiatives, systems thinking, goal setting, measurement, capacity building and importantly – collaborative approaches.

Iwi became an important collaborator. Over time, NEXT became more thoughtful and intentional in their engagement with iwi as partners. NEXT CEO Bill Kermode reflects, ‘Iwi are a critical relationship, and the Te Ao Māori worldview is very powerful and a strong way to approach environmental challenges.’

Read more on NEXT’s vision, objectives and values here.

Read about how NEXT elevated grantee voices here.

10 years of milestones

From 2014–2024, NEXT invested more than $100 million in support of environment, education and strategic philanthropy in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Foundation backed and met incredible people, witnessed inspirational achievements, and supported work that shall endure long after sunset. Find out about some of the milestones that made NEXT proud.

Read more here.

NEXT_Milestones_header_2

Lessons learned

Alongside the successes and milestones, NEXT experienced plenty of learnings in their focus areas of environment and education.

Check out some of the lessons NEXT learned between 2014 and 2024.

Read more here.

Sustaining the gains

Ensuring the good work can endure is important for all philanthropic groups and particularly those with a limited life. NEXT ‘began with the end in mind’ and was disciplined and focused on transitioning well, to ensure the gains could be sustained beyond NEXT’s sunset. NEXT understood that its success was connected to the individual and collective success of those it supported.

To this end, NEXT focused on ensuring the gains could be sustained after sundown. At sunset in 2024, initiatives have been handed over sustainably – if not always perfectly – across six spheres: iwi, government, public, new revenue models and philanthropy.

Read more on sustaining the gains beyond NEXT here.

Fellowship

In 2019 NEXT turned it’s attention also to growing leaders in system change via the NEXT Fellowship. Three cohorts were curated through to 2023, with a total of eighteen Fellows. The vision was to build, connect, and grow a community of inspiring individuals who are (or have the potential to be) catalysts for system change, in areas related to NEXT’s focus.

9. NEXT Fellowship image

The Fellowship approach was flexible, supportive, human centred, and offered a suite of supports: financial, mentoring, professional development, and access to networks and connections. The experience was infused with Te Ao Māori values, tikanga and rituals throughout.

The kaupapa was elevated through the knowledge and leadership of Jan Hania, ‘We provided a container for trust to be built, so deep learning and courage could appear. We were gifted access to marae and hosted elements of the wānaga in special natural places. People grow in these spaces, there is resonance.’

Read more about the NEXT Fellowship here.

Read about Roopu Tuatoru here.

11. Fellowship Roopu Tuatoru credit Izzy Fenwick

It’s about people

Annette and Neal believed that trusting relationships were the basis of good business and this translated to their philanthropy. They wanted a board that was small, flexible, philosophically aligned and with people they knew and trusted. Chris Liddell was appointed as the Founding NEXT Chair, alongside Barrie Brown, Carol Campbell and Geoff Harley.

While the trustees knew about running trusts and business, they had knowledge gaps in the focus areas of environment and education. They made the decision to appoint specialist advisors in the areas of environment, education and commercial.

Read more on NEXT governance here.

12. 80s pic of Annette, Neal and Chris

The next step was to appoint a CEO: someone smart, with heart, but with relevant business and investment experience and who could work with people from grassroots to the PM. Bill Kermode fitted the bill and was CEO of NEXT for the full ten years. Bill surrounded himself with a dynamic team, that extended to include the NEXT kaihautū.

The NEXT kaihautū or navigators offered governance and management support and connections, and were the primary vehicle for delivering non-financial support to grantees. They had a critical translation role, bridging the gap between grant partners and NEXT, alongside strengthening the organisation through capacity building.

13. NEXT board and team

NEXT surrounded itself with an influential circle of friends and community. Valued relationships existed with PwC New Zealand, Chapman Tripp, Inspiring Stories, Kea New Zealand, Play it Strange and others. Over time the NEXT community grew through a series of conversations, convening and events, and via its own generosity.

While the business sector was the starting point for this network, in time the community diversified to include change-makers, philanthropy, government, iwi, social entrepreneurs and others. The opportunity to unite behind common goals brought out the very best in people.

14. Morningside Glasshouse Breakfast NEXT team

One exemplar of collective action for-purpose, was the formation of Ipipiri Trust, led by the late Geoff Ricketts, set up to save the iconic Northland surf beach and surrounding native forest.

Read more about NEXT friends here.

Read more on the NEXT team and community here.

Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust

For those contemplating their own generosity journey

Annette and Neal believed that all people in a position of privilege should give something to the causes they care about. In fact, they encourage those in a position similar to them, to gift half their wealth while still alive for land and people. You can read more about their ‘giving while living’ ethos here.

If the story of NEXT resonates with you, if you wish to make a difference for Aotearoa New Zealand, and/ or you have an interest in strategic philanthropy, you can find us at the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy.

15. Chad Cottle @nzcoastie Mt Stoke view Towards Taranaki