Over $30m

The Centre for Brain Research is located within the University of Auckland and is New Zealand's largest provider of medical and biomedical research. It is internationally recognized for its neuroscience research. The Centre brings together over 70 research groups from across the University, primarily from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science but also from other fields. Our neuroscientists boast world-class expertise in key areas such as neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, regeneration, and recovery. We have recently made a commitment to pledge $16.5m to The Centre for Brain Research.

Over the last seven years, CBR has established a world-leading Biobank. This has systematically developed cutting-edge techniques to routinely grow, study and test drugs on a range of cultured human brain cells in the lab.

The CBR end vision is to: "build on our initial success and develop the Biobank into an innovative brain drug discovery and testing facility, uniquely placed to identify drug targets and molecules for treating human brain disorders".

This is one of The Hugh Green’s Foundations newest partnerships, this is the first year of funding and the largest grant the Foundation has done to date. Specifically, this is for a chair, Professor Benedikt Fischer in the Centre for Addiction Studies. The Hugh Green Foundation will be partnering with the University of Auckland on this project for five years. Giving $1,000,000 per annum. Addiction services in the community are struggling to cope with the need and there is lack of real headway in tackling these issues and understanding the grassroot causes of the addictions. This was a conscious decision by the Hugh Green Foundation to invest in a research body that can get real understanding of the issues in New Zealand and combining that with Professors Benedikt Fischer’s overseas knowledge to be able to credibly advise on possible solutions and changes that could be implemented. Adrienne Thurston the CEO of The Hugh Green Foundation got the opportunity to sit in on the interviews for the chair, she is confident along with the rest of the panel that the chosen candidate was outstanding.

Hugh Green Foundation this year started a three-year funding partnership with Cure Kids. This new programme is funding a Swedish Professor Dr Anneke Winbo and her research is aimed at looking into New Zealand children living with cardiac inherited diseases and figuring out ways to assess risk factors and potential treatments related to LQTS genotypes, without putting the patients at risk.

Hugh Green Foundation has now funded three different projects at Cure Kids since 2015. The aim for this new partnership with Cure Kids is to ultimately hope the findings from current research may inform clinical management of New Zealand families with inherited cardiac disorders.

The Hugh Green Foundation has partnered with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research for more than a decade, supporting the state-of-the-art technology that underpins its ground-breaking immunological research across cancer, asthma and allergy, gut health and infectious disease.

Since its first investment in 2010, the Hugh Green Foundation has committed more than $9.5M to the Institute, to create and resource the Hugh Green Cytometry Centre, and to support New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine research and development platform, Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Ohu Kaupare Huaketo.

A key focus of the Foundation’s support has been funding Kylie Price, Head of Research Technology and Hugh Green Cytometry Fellow, who has provided the technical expertise, leadership and vision to build a world-class research technology hub that will have will have a lasting impact on New Zealand’s health research sector.

The Hugh Green Foundation has been working very closely with this school to trial different ways and systems that allow teachers to teach and children to learn. Teacher Aides in Senior classes, Community Engagement focus, Professional Development for teachers. Hugh Green Foundation has been funding Takanini School in a smaller way since 2009.

The relationship has increased significantly over the last two years with the new principal approaching HGF to advise how dire the situation at the school is. There is now a collaborative approach with Springboard Trust whom the Hugh Green Foundation also supports and works closely with.

Hugh Green Foundation has a partnership funding agreement with Springboard Trust. This relationship has been going since 2009. Springboard Trust have three core project areas; and are currently developing some more targeted leadership training models.

Springboard's aim is to tailor professional development for educational leadership. We focus on the individual strategic leadership needs of the principal, leadership team and school. Hugh Green Foundation have been along to many leadership training seminars and have worked alongside Springboard in Takanini over the past two years.

Hugh Green Foundation will be giving Great Potentials a total of $1050,000 over the next four years for two different projects which is the Great Potentials head office and Takanini & Papakura’s family centre. This grant was given as a token of our long and strong relationship with Great Potentials to be used at their discretion to cover costs of running their Head Office. This was renewed last year when a new CEO was appointed on conditions a strategic direction was drafted for the organisation and Hugh Green Foundation be party to direction and changes. Secondly the Family Service Centre after government funding was taken away from the centres Hugh Green Foundation stepped in to support some of their vital services.

Marcellin is a Decile 3 Marist Brothers School. They have been funded for smaller projects over a few years including scholarships for individual students, ICT equipment. This year they needed a van to transport school teams around Auckland. The relationship is based around Hugh Green Foundations assistance of St Pauls another Marist Brothers school and our support of other Marist initiatives.

Hugh Green Foundation has funded the Youth Connections Papakura initiative for the past three years. Youth Connections is an Auckland wide initiative that operates within local board areas. This essentially is to try and make an impact on the Youth unemployment in Papakura, they help the youth in the community and try and create opportunities for them such as assisting with Drivers License. Youth Connections helps with simple yet effective stepping stones like a drivers licence which help youth to get a job.

Dave Letele founded BBM Motivation (BBM) 6 years ago and has his own weight loss story that has been featured on Seven Sharp, One News, and The Project.

Having lost over 100kg himself, through good nutrition and exercise, he now dedicates his time to helping others do the same, by teaching them how to live the BBM lifestyle for their health which is: 1. Just Start, 2. Be consistent, 3. Surround yourself with positive people to help you on your journey and lastly 4. No excuses.

The BBM program promotes and raises awareness to encourage people to come together, to move, have fun, and know that obesity can be overcome.

The attendees of BBM’s programs are predominately Maori and Pasifika many of which are vulnerable suffering long term conditions such as diabetes, gout, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and mental health issues

BBM has helped New Zealand communities lose 1,000’s of kilos and even helped reverse type 2 diabetes. To date, the BBM program has over 14,000 members and has saved countless lives promoting a lifelong lifestyle and health and well-being change.

"The Hugh Green Foundation’s continued support has basically been the catalyst for BBM’s growth and everything we have done to date enabling us to get to where we are today". Dave Letele

Hugh Green Foundation has been funding Sweet Louise for five years now with a 200k per annum donation of support. Sweet Louise provides practical, emotional, and social support and services for New Zealanders living with incurable breast cancer. They provide the compassion and care for these women to live as well as possible, for as long as possible. They are always guided by the needs of the woman and families that they serve, with over 730 members and their families right across New Zealand.

Race4Life provides ‘wishes’ to terminally ill patients. This organization has a practical approach which is very beneficial to the families they serve. They provide families with the chance to have a happy experience together with their loved ones in the last stages of their life.

The aim of Race4LifeTrust is to enable people, living with life-limiting illnesses, to realize dreams that they and their families can cherish. Their mission is to seek to provide people, with the means to fulfill their wishes. Race4Life aspires to always avidly listen and come from a position of integrity, perseverance, understanding, and respect when working with their families.

Hugh Green Foundation is helping to fund the rebuild of their site which has been in the planning for the last ten years. The plans have now been drawn up and the rebuild is confirmed and is projected to begin at the start of 2019. The new site is going to include a community café, commercial kitchen, community hub, 80 apartments and plenty more. Hugh and John Green were both involved in these starting conversations ten years ago and Hugh Green expressed an interest in this idea. Therefore the Hugh Green Foundation will be giving a large donation of $3,000,000 over a five year time period to the City Mission.

Habitat for Humanity partners with people of goodwill and families in severe housing and social need to provide safe, healthy, affordable and sustainable housing. HGF has funded two new restores within Auckland and two restores in Henderson and Pukekohe. The restores sell quality new and second-hand goods. They exist as a key funding stream for our ongoing work in Auckland. They also provide key visibility within the local community and serve as a point of reference for information for the public.