MAS Foundation: Investing in a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand

How did MAS, a 100-year-old mutual providing insurance and investment services, make the transition to become a charity and establishing its own foundation? Member engagement and clarity of purpose were key factors in the journey to enable MAS to make a stronger contribution to the health of Aotearoa New Zealand.

MAS was started by a group of forward-thinking doctors, so it's only natural it would one day aspire to play a role to improve health in Aotearoa New Zealand. MAS Foundation (MASF) was started in December 2019 to improve health through research, promotion, and education. In time this evolved to a focus on health and wellbeing equity and honour the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. MASF does this by funding and supporting community-led initiatives that see children and families flourishing, providing local solutions to reduce health disparities in our most vulnerable communities.

But how did MAS go from insurer to philanthropic funder?

"Harness their energy and see where they take you. Don't be inflexible, because the end result may be different than you first imagined, but very likely better."

While the initial effort was undertaken by the legal team at MAS, MAS soon engaged a philanthropic consultant to recruit the Foundation trustees and kick-start its operational approach. This included careful selection of trustees with strong Māori and Pasifika representation. It also helped MAS cut through red tape and avoid potential missteps along the way. 

"We knew early on, working with the team at JBWere, we'd be a giving charity, not a doing one," says Martin. "There was a gap in our country's charitable landscape from the corporate sector."

"On our journey we learnt that you shouldn't underestimate the engagement required with your key stakeholders," adds Martin. In MAS' case, their primary stakeholders were their Members, who were required to vote in support of the proposal. In 2018 at the MAS AGM, voting Members overwhelmingly supported the establishment of a charitable trust, which gave MAS a strong mandate to action its vision. Leading into this vote, MAS went through rounds of focus groups, email communication, and town hall meetings to ensure Members understood what MAS was trying to do. "I have no doubt that we would not have a Foundation were it not for the engagement with, and goodwill of, our Members."

MAS then successfully applied to Charities Services to secure charitable status. The exemption from paying income tax freed up funds to be allocated to the Foundation for its operation and grant-making. 

MAS benefitted from establishing a relatively broad remit for its charitable purpose, with the Foundation trustees and Heads of Foundation developing their strategic direction to invest in health and wellbeing equity, particularly targeting initiatives to support Māori and Pasifika communities - a strategy that strongly resonates with MAS employees and Members alike. 

Philanthropic organisations ordinarily take years to be established and become operational, however COVID-19 fast-tracked this process. Only three months after its formation, MASF was providing urgent support to communities, distributing grants for COVID-related programmes to address the impact of the virus and post-lockdown recovery. Following this inaugural grant round, the strategy evolved to funding broader health and wellbeing projects with more than $2.5 million of grants made in the 2021/2022 financial year.

MASF adopted a Te Tiriti position statement, which included appointing joint Heads of Foundation in its second year that could represent the communities the Foundation sought to work in partnership with - Dr Julie Wharewera-Mika (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Dutch descent) and Mafi Funaki-Tahifote, who is Tongan. 

Julie says that she and Mafi advocated for a broader health and wellbeing focus, with a values based, community-led approach. "We felt strongly about this, and it helped to develop the principles of the Foundation."

For MAS, the value of setting up the Foundation has been attracting new Members who are drawn to the Foundation's work, says Martin. "At MAS, we believe that your purchasing choices can make a difference. The money you pay towards your insurance cover or retirement savings should help our communities. We think there are other Kiwis that think like us."

"And MAS is already experiencing healthy signs of growth, which we believe will help us increase our impact on Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Offering a final word of advice, Martin says: "Don't rush the process, find your charitable or philanthropic niche, and trust the experienced people you put in place to see it happen."

"In terms of next steps, we will be measuring the impact of our grants. We are excited at how far we've come in just three years and to see the evolution of the Foundation's strategy. We're looking forward to growing the funding base for the Foundation through the growth of MAS."