No Kandoo - Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough to close

After 14 years of operations and over 10 million local student learning hours, a national restructure has seen Marlborough’s arm of the Graeme Dingle Foundation fold.

All roles at the Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough have been disestablished as the national organisation looks to rejig the delivery of its educational programmes in schools.

The Future of Work Conference 2025 will go on as planned, while Stars and Career Navigator programmes will pause as of May 19, 2025 and Kiwi Can will continue until the end of Term 2.

Hopes are that the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s programmes continue to operate in Marlborough under the new system, but outgoing Regional Manager Kelvin Watt says the 14 years of local efforts have left a distinct mark.

“I hope our legacy will be a generation of thriving young people and a stronger community ... we’re humbled when we look back at the amazing achievements of the past 14 years of operation locally,” says Kelvin.

“Without the license agreement from national office, which wouldn’t apply if the process to centralise goes ahead, it’s just not possible for us to continue as we do now.”

Principal of Mayfield School and longtime supporter David Nott was “pretty upset and disappointed it has come to this”.

“The Graeme Dingle Foundation’s values tied in beautifully with what we were trying to implement in our school, and they've just supported us beautifully all the way through with some amazing leaders through the place.

“It’s been a long and happy relationship – one of the very first Kiwi Can leaders is teaching here, and we were one of the first schools to move to fortnightly lessons just to make it work recently – and we’ve loved having your people and presence in our school.”

Ted Culley was an instrumental figure in getting Kiwi Can set up in Marlborough 14 years ago, and says local kids will lose out due to national issues.

“I’ve fundraised over $60,000 for this organisation, and I know how hard it is to raise money to support such comprehensive efforts, so I hope the head office sees how much students and the wider community supports the Foundation’s efforts here, because the kids need it.

“The team in Marlborough have done an awesome job engaging with the local community, and given they’d put themselves on a firm financial stance, it’s a real travesty the loss of local efforts is a cause of the national level struggles.

“It took a whole lot of effort and willpower to get started, and when you see what the Foundation’s efforts does for kids you become a believer, but I think they’ll struggle to bring the same levels of enthusiasm to Marlborough students from a centralised position”.

Felllow supporter Mark Watson of Robinson Construction agreed that “it is a very sad time for the organization, but even a sadder time for the community and the young people.

“Ultimately, they are the benefactors of all of it, and so is our community as they grow through life, but we acknowledge and celebrate the work from the people that have gone before us and made this all happen.”

Graeme Dingle Marlborough board member and volunteer Kimberley Thomson was deeply saddened, and says she wishes she has the same opportunities the Foundation has provided as a kid.

“It’s devastating ... it’s our local young people and our community that are losing this, so I hope that national office restores the programmes in Marlborough.

“We've really embodied resilience over the past few years so we’re trying to be true to those values that we teach and navigate challenges with them in mind, but I think the community will be devastated to find out we’re not delivering in a local capacity anymore”.

In a response, the Graeme Dingle Foundation said that the local board made the decision to relinquish the license early, and they are “actively exploring how our programmes might continue in the region, though no plans have been finalised at this stage”.

“We have a commitment to thinking long-term, making bold decisions, and building a stronger, more resilient national organisation to support young people across the country,” says CEO Jo Malcolm-Black.

“The Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough Trust has unilaterally opted to cease programme delivery by the end of June 2025, and has decided to relinquish its current licence to operate our programmes.

“We understand that this change is deeply felt by those who have contributed to the Marlborough Trust over the years - their legacy is significant, and we thank the local team, board, and supporters for their passion and commitment.

“We also appreciate the strong support from schools and community leaders who want to see our work continue in the region.

“That is our goal too, so we are open to exploring the best path forward and will share further updates when possible”.

As he steps away, Kelvin Watt said that he trusts GDF head office “will do their utmost to continue to support our local young people and amazing community.”

“We have made the very strong recommendation to Graeme Dingle Foundation nationally that there continue to be the Kiwi Can, Stars and Career Navigator programmes locally, to serve the obvious need here in Marlborough”.