2022 Canon Oceania Grants Program launches its 16th year

Auckland, New Zealand, 31 May 2022: Canon Oceania has opened submissions for its 2022 Grants Program.

Over the last 16 years, Canon Oceania has supported more than 80 schools, not-for-profits and community groups with over $450,000 in monetary and product support – all in the spirit of Canon’s guiding philosophy of Kyosei, which means living and working together for the common good.

The Canon Oceania Grants Program returns to support individuals and organisations making a difference in their community.

The three categories in the Grants Program include Community, Education and Environment. Grant winners are selected based on the positive impact the initiatives have on their community.

Each Grant recipient receives $5,000 in cash and Canon products ($2,500 cash, $2,500 product), ranging from cameras and printers to digital display and other accessories.

Winners of the 2021 Canon Oceania Grants have put their rewards to great use.

The 2021 Community Grant winner was awarded to The Period Place, an Auckland based charity working to combat period poverty and eliminate menstrual stigma in society. The Grant provided the charity with the tools to generate educational resources for the individuals they support around Aotearoa.

“Winning the Grant has provided us with access to vital office equipment including a quality Canon printer and an unlimited supply of ink. It might seem simple, but it has made a huge difference to the team and makes our everyday work possible.

“With the money and time saved, we’ve been able to dedicate our resources to educating the community around period poverty and supporting those in need,” says Danika Revell, Co-founder and CEO of The Period Place.

The Wakatipu Reforestation Trust in Queenstown won the 2021 Education Grant. The grant has been used to support the trust’s ‘Educate for Nature’ program, a hands-on environmental learning program to connect children and community with nature.

“The grant has helped us to further develop our community’s conservation knowledge and skills, enabling us to work together to help restore our native biodiversity. Canon has been a huge support ensuring our efforts continue to make a difference in the restoration of the Wakatipu basin,” says Karen O’Donahoo, WRT Operations Manager, Wakatipu Reforestation.

Far Out Ocean Research Collective, based in Paihia, received the Environment Grant to support photo-identification work as part of the first dedicated survey of female parāoa/sperm whales in Aotearoa.

“The grant has provided us with the tools to continue our research into the sperm whale population found off the Northland coast. We have used the Canon cameras to produce the very first photo-identification catalogue of female sperm whale groups in New Zealand. We are thrilled with the results and look forward to sharing our findings with the community,” says Jochen Zaeschmar, Founder of Far Out Ocean Research Collective.

The 2022 Grants categories

The 2022 Grants will be awarded under the following categories:

1 x Community Grant – NZ$5,000 ($2,500 cash, $2,500 product)
Open to a range of organisations with a project that has a positive impact on communities, encompassing cultural and societal causes.

1 x Education Grant – NZ$5,000 ($2,500 cash, $2,500 product)
A project being run by a primary, secondary or tertiary school/educational institution.

1 x Environment Grant – NZ$5,000 ($2,500 cash, $2,500 product)
An environmental or sustainability project with significance to New Zealand.

Submissions are now open until 29 July 2022 via canon.co.nz/grants. The wider community will vote on finalists in August, and winners will be announced in September.

For more information about Canon Oceania’s Grants Program 2022, please visit: canon.co.nz/grants