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Image: (L-R Top) Te Karanga Charitable Trust, EcoQuest Centre
(L-R Bottom) Taskforce Kiwi, Aki Tai Here
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND – 17 August 2026: Celebrating two decades of empowering local heroes, Canon Oceania has today announced the winners of its 2026 Grants Program, placing technology and funding directly into the hands of grassroots organisations driving meaningful change across Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Created to champion the power of visual storytelling in bridging divides, protecting biodiversity, and preserving cultural heritage, the Grants Program marks its major 20th anniversary milestone by awarding four New Zealand recipients $5,000 each ($2,500 in financial support and $2,500 in Canon technology). To further celebrate the anniversary, in addition to the four grant recipients, one finalist was also awarded the overall Judges Award, receiving a $2,000 Content Creation Package with a professional photographer or videographer to help amplify their message and reach new audiences.
Guided by its corporate philosophy of Kyosei – living and working together for the common good - Canon’s flagship community grants initiative has now invested more than $700,000 into grassroots initiatives across Australia and New Zealand since its launch.
“For 20 years, our Grants Program has been grounded in the simple belief that when you give passionate local people the tools to share their stories, the positive impact ripples right across the community,” said Kotaro Fukushima, Managing Director & CEO of Canon Oceania.
“This year’s New Zealand winners embody the dedication found at the heart of our community. We are proud to back their vision and provide the technology and funds that they need to drive lasting, positive change.”
Many of Taskforce Kiwi's volunteers have already spent careers running toward emergencies, in the fire service, ambulance, or defence force. Now they do it as civilians, supporting communities across Aotearoa and overseas, in the immediate aftermath of disasters and severe weather events. Its 970 skilled volunteers have responded to every major event from Cyclone Gabrielle to the recent Wellington floods, contributing more than 20,000 hours across 26 operations. The Canon grant provides essential equipment and training to document their work in the field.
Richard Adams at Taskforce Kiwi, said, “This grant will help us tell the story of our volunteers who put their lives on hold to help those they’ve never met, while also upskilling them through training and access to Canon’s high-quality camera equipment. Now we'll be able to document the impact of disasters and severe weather events on communities and ensure there is a wider understanding of the challenges they face. The funding will enable us to deliver photography training for our volunteers around the country so when they are deployed on disaster relief operations, they can effectively tell the story of our people and who they assist.”
For rangatahi who may have struggled to access education and employment, Te Karanga Charitable Trust's Bridge the Gap programme offers a way back in. The free programme mentors 13 to 30-year-olds through hands-on branding, creative work, marketing, digital design, music and photography projects. With Canon’s camera and printing equipment, they’ll build practical skills in photography and videography, produce real work for events and exhibitions, creating genuine pathways into employment or further study.
TK White at Te Karanga Charitable Trust, said, “Receiving this grant means so much to Te Karanga, particularly because our community helped make it possible. Their support throughout the voting campaign sent a powerful message; that our young people, their stories, and their perspectives matter and deserve to be seen and heard. With Canon’s equipment and funding, we can now put quality creative tools and mentorship directly into the hands of our young people and help bring those stories to life. We can’t wait to see what the world looks like through their eyes.”
EcoQuest is on the hunt for one of New Zealand's most elusive creatures. Combining science and mātauranga Māori, its community-led Finding Franklin Bats project tracks the critically endangered long-tailed bat (pekapeka) to uncover where it roosts, feeds and travels. It also works with landowners and Ngāti Te Ata kaitiaki to restore the habitats these bats need. The Canon grant will fund cameras and printing equipment to capture its after-dark conservation work, turning it into stories that attract volunteers, engage landowners, and build public support to help the bats survive.
Dr Natasha Bansal at EcoQuest Centre, said, “This project has shown us just how much people care about our native bats when they are given the opportunity to learn about them and get involved in their conservation. The grant will help us build more resources for schools and communities, share the amazing mahi happening through Finding Franklin Bats, and raise awareness of pekapeka and their importance across Aotearoa. We’re particularly excited to use the Canon equipment to document our work in the field, including the often unseen world of bats at night, and to create and print resources that communities can take away and use themselves.”
In the Whangārei Heads area, a Māori-led team is working to bring the whenua back to life. Aki Tai Here works to eradicate invasive pests, restore native habitat, and build tangata whenua capacity 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 camera will help them capture clear, lasting footage to build a proper archive of the restoration work for their community.
Nicki Wakefield at Aki Tai Here, said, “Tukuna he mihi nui ki ngā whānau i pōti me te poāri kaiwhakwā. Ka tautoko tēnei pūtea i a tātou mahi tiaki te taiao me te ngāhere i roto i tēnei pito o te ao. Ka kawea ēnei whakaahua i ngā reo whakaorooro, e honohono i ngā iwi kātoa ki te ao taiao tūturu. Huge thanks to the board of judges and those who voted for our kaupapa to win this award. This grant will support us not only in our work to care for the natural world in our local area - the images will carry our stories, which allow others from across the world to form bonds with an indigenous worldview.”
In addition to receiving the Cultural Grant, Aki Tai Here was also awarded the Judges' Award, securing a content creation package with a professional photographer or videographer (up to $2,000 value) at a site of Canon’s choosing.
More information about Canon Oceania’s 2026 Grants Program, including current and previous winners, is available on Canon’s website at: https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants
