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Surfing for Farmers is a grassroots initiative that helps farmers look after their mental health by getting them off the farm and into the ocean. Each week, farmers, their families, and rural workers meet on the beach for a free surf lesson and a barbecue. It's an opportunity to have a real break from farm stress, a chance to connect with others who understand what they're going through, and a way to talk openly. The Canon Grant would help set up regional photo libraries and fund a video series where farmers share how the initiative has supported their mental health.
Taskforce Kiwi is a disaster relief group that helps communities before, during and after disasters across Aotearoa. Its 970 skilled volunteers, many of whom have served in the emergency services or defence force, have supported every major event from Cyclone Gabrielle through to the recent Wellington floods, putting in over 20,000 hours across 26 operations. The Canon Grant would fund camera gear and training courses for 30 volunteers, turning them into skilled photographers who can document disaster response, share the stories of affected communities, and help build public support for future relief efforts.
Youth Arts New Zealand (YANZ) helps young people build a career in the arts. Since 2018, YANZ has supported more than 2,300 young creatives through over 400 programmes and events and paid more than $1.6 million in wages to young people, with a focus on Māori and Pasifika. Their project, Rangatahi Behind the Lens, will give four to six young photographers paid jobs shooting more than 12 live YANZ events over the next year, with training and mentoring along the way. The Canon Grant would pay for a shared camera kit and the photographers' wages, turning a young person's first photo shoot into a real paid job and a step toward a lasting career.
Te Karanga Charitable Trust runs free programmes for young people across Auckland, giving over 1,200 rangatahi a week a safe space to connect, create, and build skills. Its Bridge the Gap programme supports 13 to 30-year-olds who have struggled to access education and employment, mentoring them through hands-on branding, marketing, digital design, and photography projects to build pathways into work or further study. The Canon Grant would fund camera and printing equipment for this programme, giving participants practical skills from learning photography and videography to producing work for exhibitions.
Ted's Space is a Wellington charity that brings dogs into schools to support children who are finding things hard, including neuro-diverse children and those dealing with anxiety. The dogs are trained to work with children aged 5 to 18, offering a calm, friendly presence to learn alongside. Through gentle play and simple training exercises, children build confidence, learn to communicate, and feel safe enough to open up. The Canon Grant would be used to teach 50–80 children fast-action photography, capturing their bond with the dogs and turning photos into stories that help children share their progress.
The Hyphen Project runs a programme for gifted neurodivergent teens aged 16 to 19. Over six months, the teens discover how they learn and work best, and map out the next steps towards work, further education, or a freelancing career. The Canon Grant would fund professional camera and studio equipment, giving them hands-on experience with photography and filmmaking. They'll build creative portfolios, develop practical, entrepreneurial skills, and put their new skills to work photographing recipes for a Hyphen cookbook they're currently creating.
EcoQuest is a charitable trust that combines science and mātauranga Māori to tackle environmental challenges through research and education. Their Finding Franklin Bats project tracks New Zealand's critically endangered long-tailed bats, mapping where they roost, feed, and travel. They also work with landowners and Ngāti Te Ata kaitiaki to restore bat-friendly habitat. The Canon Grant would fund camera and printing equipment to film and photograph after-dark fieldwork, turning invisible conservation work into stories that recruit volunteers, engage landowners, and build public support for the bats' survival.
Ngahuia Wild Bird Rescue is a volunteer-run organisation in the Wairarapa that rescues, treats, and releases injured, sick, and orphaned native birds. A key focus is storm-wrecked seabirds like albatross, which get blown or washed inland during severe weather and need urgent veterinary care before they can return to the coast. Volunteers respond to callouts, transport birds to care, and coordinate their rehabilitation and release back into the wild. The Canon Grant would fund a camera and zoom lens, letting the team photograph birds safely from a distance during rescue and recovery, document injuries for veterinary records, and share these stories to raise support for seabird conservation.
The Tawaki Project studies Fiordland crested penguins, one of New Zealand's least known and most threatened penguin species. Because Tawaki breed in such a remote part of Fiordland, the team uses automated monitoring technology and microchipping to track individual penguins' movements, breeding success, and survival over time, without disturbing them. This builds the evidence needed to protect the species. The Canon Grant would fund a camera to capture high-quality photos and video that bring this hidden penguin species to the attention of New Zealanders, as well as a new monitoring station to expand the project’s ability to track more penguins.
Aki Tai Here is a Māori-led team based in the Whangārei Heads area, working to eradicate invasive pests, restore native habitat, and build the capacity of tangata whenua to care for the environment. As part of this mahi, they're developing Tirotiro, a tool for tracking environmental change over time, recording plant recovery and pest damage using mātauranga Māori. Currently, that record-keeping happens on phones. The Canon Grant would fund a camera so they can capture clear, lasting footage to build a proper archive of the restoration work for their community.
Based in South Auckland, The Niu Wav is a Pasifika-owned production company that makes short films, web series and video content to reflect the lives and voices of Pacific and Indigenous communities. Its current project, Men of Lights, is a short film telling the story of the Dawn Raids through the eyes of a child. Now in post-production ahead of its October release, the film needs support to reach audiences. The Canon Grant would fund a mirrorless camera kit to shoot a trailer, poster, and behind-the-scenes content for the film's promotion, helping keep this important piece of Pasifika history visible to communities after its release.
Te Whare Rikoriko ki Te Kāhui Maunga is a wāhine-led group in Taranaki teaching mau rākau, a traditional Māori martial art using weapons such as patu. The training is a way of learning tikanga and te ao Māori, building confidence and identity, connecting wāhine to their whakapapa and ancestors, and creating a sense of belonging. The Canon Grant would fund a wānanga for 50 wāhine as well as a camera and printer to record training sessions so they can share their knowledge with the wider community.
