One of our recent purpose driven clients wanted to set up an organisation which seeks to revitalise, strengthen and raise awareness about Indigenous approaches and worldviews. This is exactly the sort of assignment which we really enjoy.
To progress this we collaborated through discussions with our client leads on this, Jodi Gustafson and Erin Matariki, to really get an understanding of what the activities would involve and the steps they would be taking.
We then talked through various structure options before settling on a charitable trust being the right one.
While in different cities we could understand what was planned and used that to help to draft the purposes to ensure they were charitable and reflective of the kaupapa/purpose of what was intended.
We then helped guide through the different stages of signing documents needed and applying to incorporate the Trust Board and then also for the registration as a charity with Charities Services which was successful. This means that the plans can now be rolled out. To find out more about what River Aotearoa Charitable Trust do, visit their site at https://www.weareriver.earth/
In reflecting on the process of working with us Jodi and Erin wrote this:
He toka tū moana he ākinga nā ngā tai. Steadfast as the rock that scorns the lashings of the tide. This is the whakatauki (proverb) that comes to mind when reflecting on the solid support that Steven Moe and his team provided us at RIVER Aotearoa Charitable Trust during our formation. Founding our not-for-profit entity that encompasses work from Turtle Island (Canada, USA) to Aotearoa was complicated and inter-twining. Steven Moe and his team at Parry Field Lawyers were knowledgeable and patient way-finders as we navigated our unique circumstances to land with a safe, sound organisational structure. With Steven’s guidance we have now received our charitable status and can begin our work in revitalising Indigenous values to care for Papatūānuku. We are very grateful for all of Steven’s effort and dedication to our mahi and we look forward to working with him as we grow. Ngā mihi aroha ki a koe mō tō manaakitanga, e Steven.
We really enjoyed this project and it is reflected in the positive result – we look forward to journeying with the River team into the future.
If you are looking at your structure options then have a listen to this 10 minutes on often used structures (a seeds podcast episode). We are also happy to have a discussion at no cost to work out if we are well placed to help with the set up of you charity, social enterprise, not for profit or other form of purpose driven organisation. You can reach Steven Moe at stevenmoe@parryfield.com
