Climate Action Aotearoa is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Kaupapa of National Significance (KoNS) Climate Action Fund: Wilding Pine Network, Rewiring Aotearoa, Papawhakaritorito Charitable Trust, 800 Trust, and 350 Aotearoa.

Launched in 2024, KoNS is a flagship initiative designed to bring funders together to resource climate solutions at a scale no single trust could achieve alone. In just its first two years, KoNS has committed more than $1.5 million to climate action, supporting initiatives that create ripple effects of impact across Aotearoa New Zealand

What makes this kaupapa unique is not only the scale of funding, but the spirit of genuine collaboration it represents. Community Trusts and other funder signatories have come together to pool resources, expertise, and networks, accelerating solutions to one of Aotearoa’s most complex challenges.

“What’s great about KoNS is that its funding criteria and exclusions were shaped by a diverse cross-section of Community Trust representatives. It’s designed to cut across our usual exclusions, which means we can approach things collectively. I see this as a meaningful shift, a devolving of decision-making power from the signatory organisations to CAWG (Climate Action Working Group), enabling CAWG to act more collaboratively and responsively to large-scale issues — especially in a space as complex as climate action, where we need to pull on different levers of influence,” said Connie Lee, CAWG member.

The 2024 KoNS recipients included The Nature Conservancy, Lawyers for Climate Action, and Para Kore, all advancing climate initiatives with nationwide impact.

Climate Action Aotearoa acknowledges with gratitude the contributions of the Community Trusts and Clare Foundation, whose collective commitment makes this fund possible.

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