Graeme Dingle Foundation Canterbury & Queenstown

01/10/2026

🔥 Our last night of Community Challenge for our Project K cohort from Te Aratai College🔥

What a special way to spend our final evening together before the students head into their last day.

Tonight was all about reflection, letting go and looking forward. Our students took time to write letters and think about the things they want to “let go of” things that may no longer serve them or support the future they want for themselves.

Letting go can be hard, but it also creates space to focus on what matters, what they want to achieve, and the future they want to create.

We were also lucky enough to have our Project K mentors join us for the night sharing in the laughs, conversations and celebrations with our students. 💚

And, of course, what better way to finish the night than around the fire, sharing stories, having a few laughs and celebrating together with s’mores!🔥🍫

And what a great backdrop of the Banks Peninsula ✨

One more day to go, but tonight was a pretty special reminder of the connections, courage and growth that make Community Challenge so special.

Let go. Look forward. Keep moving.💚

**leFoundation

30/09/2026

And that’s a wrap on Hornby High School's Project K Community Challenge! 💪

What a few days it has been for our young people, with plenty of opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, give back to their community and test their resilience.

🐾 Community Project: The team got stuck in at the SPCA Canterbury Hornby site, helping with a clean-up and giving back to an organisation doing such important work in our community.

🧊 Ice Bath Challenge: They put themselves to the test with a four-minute ice bath, pushing through the discomfort and discovering just how much resilience they have when they challenge themselves.

💭 Reflect Challenge: Last night was about slowing things down and having some honest conversations about the things they may be carrying and what they want to let go of, creating space to move forward. A big thank you to their Project K mentors, who joined us for the evening and supported the young people through these conversations.

It’s been a few days of giving back, testing limits, having honest conversations and backing themselves — exactly what Project K is all about.

A huge well done to the Hornby High crew for getting stuck in and giving everything a go. 👏

And now, it’s time for our cohort from Te Aratai College Community Challenge!

As part of the handover, both cohorts had the opportunity to hear from Jordan Pruden Golf,
and spoke with real heart and passion about his community, his journey, and the resilience and perseverance it took to achieve his goal of becoming a professional golfer.

He shared what success means to him and how a positive mindset and taking action helped him get to where he is today.

We’re incredibly grateful for Jordan’s vulnerability and generosity in sharing his story, inspiring our PK students to ask questions, share their thoughts, and learn from his experiences.

The Hornby High team have now handed over the baton at the starting point of each challenge, passing on the energy, encouragement and challenge to the next group. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Let’s see what Te Aratai can bring! 💪

27/09/2026

First stop on our Project K Community Challenge! 🙌

We popped into Z Cashmere to say a huge thank you to the team for their ongoing support of the Graeme Di**le Foundation through Z Energy's Good in the Hood.

Support like this helps make opportunities such as our Community Challenges possible — giving young people the chance to step up, get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

So, a big thank you to everyone who has stopped in, purchased petrol and popped a token in the box to vote for the Foundation. Every token makes a difference! 💚

We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our local community and businesses.

Now, back to the Challenge… there’s plenty more to come this week! 🌿🙌

27/09/2026

The school holidays are here, and that means our Project K Community Challenges are underway! 🙌

Over the next five days, our students will be getting out into the community, working together, taking on challenges and making a difference through a range of community projects.

First off the rank is Hornby High School, who are heading off to Living Springs to kick things off. Lots of smiles, plenty of excitement and a great group of young people ready to get stuck in!

We’re looking forward to sharing more of their journey and the impact they make throughout the week. 🌿💪

27/09/2026

🌧️❄️ A wet, cold and in some parts, snowy September Sunday today… so maybe we’re thinking about summer and the Christmas break! ☀️😎

Which got us thinking - what are you putting on the Christmas table for family and friends this year?

How about a ham that gives back? 💚

Our Christmas Hams are on sale now, with proceeds going back into our region and helping us deliver programmes that support young people across Canterbury.

So while Christmas might still feel a little way off, it’s never too early to get your ham sorted and know that your purchase is helping make a difference to young people in our community.

Good food. Good company. Good cause. 💚

🎄 Order your Canterbury Christmas Ham today and make your Christmas table one that gives back.

Buy Now on Humanitix - Graeme Di**le Foundation Canterbury Christmas Hams Fundraiser 2026. Graeme Di**le Foundation Canterbury. Sunday 23rd August 2026. Find event information.

18/09/2026

Last night we held our first mentor recruitment evening looking towards 2027, bringing together past, present and future mentors and it was a wonderful reminder of the lasting impact of Project K.

One of the highlights was hearing from Kathryn, who was a Project K student back in 2008, and Emma, her mentor at the time. Kathryn spoke openly about the change she experienced from who she was before starting Project K, through to completing the programme and the important role Project K played in giving her direction and helping her believe in what was possible for her.

Eighteen years on, Kathryn and Emma have remained friends. That in itself is a beautiful example of how the connections made through Project K can continue well beyond the programme.

The second photo is the Aranui High Project K cohort from 2008 a wonderful snapshot of where Kathryn’s journey began.

And now, we’re looking forward to seeing the story come full circle, with Kathryn keen to become a Project K mentor herself. 💚

Thank you to Emma and Kathryn for coming along and sharing your story, and to Tuleiesea and Rachel for sharing their experiences as a current student and mentor.

And a huge thank you to everyone who joined us last night and is considering becoming part of the Project K journey in 2027.

14/09/2026

⭐ A huge shout-out to our Wakatipu High School Stars students! ⭐

Over three weeks, our students took on an incredible community project in support of the Salvation Army, and what they achieved was pretty impressive.

The students organised a donation drive, created raffles and got their school community behind the campaign, with donations coming in thick and fast. In just three days, they had already collected enough to reach half of their fundraising goal, a fantastic result in such a short space of time.

They kept the momentum going right through the three weeks, and the project wrapped up just over a week ago when the Salvation Army came along to collect the donations.

And the final result? 22 full boxes of donations! 📦📦📦

The Salvation Army team were blown away by the generosity and the incredible effort that had gone into the project.

What started as an idea became a fantastic example of our Stars students stepping up, getting involved and making a real difference in their community.

A huge ka pai to our Wakatipu High School students! This wouldn't have happened without your incredible mahi, energy, and generosity. 💚⭐

09/09/2026

💚 A BIG shout-out to Eastern Dry Cleaners in Ferrymead! 💚

There’s one part of Wilderness that doesn’t get quite as much glory… the clean-up afterwards!

Sleeping bags, boots, gear… EVERYTHING comes back needing a good tidy-up after our young people have had an epic time in the outdoors. 🏕️🥾🌿

Normally, that means our staff spending a fair bit of time getting everything cleaned, sorted and ready for the next crew.

So this year, we were incredibly lucky to have Eastern Drycleaners & Tailors come to the rescue and refresh all our sleeping bags following Wilderness for our Hornby High School and Te Aratai College cohorts. 🙌

And honestly, what a difference it makes!

The sleeping bags are fresh, clean and ready to go for our 2027 cohorts and our team gets something even more valuable back… TIME. ⏰

Time that can be spent with our young people rather than cleaning gear. 💚

It’s support like this that makes a real difference behind the scenes and helps us do more of what we’re here to do.

Thank you, Eastern Drycleaners & Tailors! We really appreciate you getting behind us and supporting our young people. 👏👏👏

03/09/2026

DROP YOUR BOSS IS BACK! 🎉 — AND CANTERBURY IS BACK IN THE MIX!

After a few years away, we’re excited to be bringing Drop Your Boss back to Canterbury! 🙌

It’s time to take the leap for young people across Aotearoa — and give brave bosses the chance to step outside their comfort zone, face their fears and raise funds for the Graeme Di**le Foundation to help tamariki and rangatahi overcome obstacles.

A huge thank you to Hanmer Springs Attractions for supporting us this year and helping bring Drop Your Boss back to Canterbury. We’re excited to be taking on the Bungy Jump on 18 November! 🪂

And this year, there are more ways to take the leap, with challenges happening across the country:

📍 Canterbury – Hanmer Springs Bungee Jump | 18 November

📍 Auckland – Sky Tower & SkyRide | 18 November

📍 Velocity Valley – Vertigo Ride | 20 November

📍 Western Bay of Plenty – Skydive | September–December

Whether you’re a boss ready to take the leap, a team looking for a challenge, or someone who knows a leader who needs a little encouragement… this is your sign. 👀

After a few years on the sidelines, Canterbury is ready to drop again! Who’s brave enough to take the leap? 😎

Ready to drop? Head to dropyourboss.co.nz and represent Canterbury and the young people of our region! 💪

**leFoundation

31/08/2026

🙌 A big shout-out to Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust!

We’re gearing up for our upcoming Project K Community Challenge, and we’re incredibly grateful to have the support of Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust behind us!

Because the truth is, amazing opportunities like this don’t just happen. They happen because generous community supporters get behind our young people and help make them possible. 💚

Our Project K cohorts from Hornby High School and Te Aratai College will be getting out into the community, rolling up their sleeves, working together and making a difference while putting all those Project K values into action in the upcoming School Holidays! 💪🌿

So, thank you for backing our young people and helping us make this Community Challenge happen.

We couldn’t do it without you! 🙏