For 15 years now, Holland Beckett has been donating their TECT rebate to the Tauranga Community Foodbank.
This tradition began at the end of 2009 when the global financial crisis was putting pressure on many and the Foodbank was strained to provide for those who needed them, with Christmas just around the corner.
Unfortunately, the global financial crisis that started this initiative has been replaced by a housing and cost of living crisis and the demand on the Foodbank only increases. What began as a one-off donation where the firm saw a need, has now become a long-standing tradition.
Holland Beckett’s Bill Holland has been the chairman of TECT since 2014, leading the organisation though transformational change into a community trust. “Tect has been absolutely transformational for Tauranga. The contribution to the community … is now in excess of a massive $20m a year”. Bill was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List, for services to community governance and philanthropy. The firm is proud to also champion ‘community’ as one of its core values, committed to supporting the BOP community in a variety of ways.
The firm views the TECT dividends as windfall, not allocated in the budget, and so it is easy to pass on to a good cause. It is a way of closing the loop and returning the profits generated by TECT to the community.
Fifteen years later and that initial idea has grown into something really meaningful, with Hobec’s rebates gifted to Tauranga Community Foodbank now totaling $29, 843.
Hobec Solicitor Sarah Burns is on the Board of the Tauranga Community Foodbank – “We are immensely grateful to Holland Beckett for their annual donation. The Foodbank has been around since 1991, over this period demand has continued to grow and as a result so has our need for donations and volunteers. On average, the Foodbank provides over 20,000 meals a month to those in our community. We know right now a large number of households are really struggling due to the current economic environment, with the generosity of our donors we are able to step in and ensure these families don’t go without nutritious meals.”
With TECT rebates to be distributed for years to come, Holland Beckett will continue to pass these on to the Tauranga Community Foodbank as one of the firms many charity initiatives. If you are also a recipient of the rebate, in the spirit of TECT, why not consider also paying it forward?
Bill Holland
Tauranga
Sarah Burns
Tauranga
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