Our success in 2024 promises to be even greater in 2025

2024 was a very supportive year for the Freemasons Foundation. Groups and projects throughout NZ benefitted from over $1.8m of our financial support. 

The World Choir Games, for example, hosted in NZ for the first time, saw choral singing performed throughout Auckland City, with local and international teams participating. Freemasons Foundation proudly supported 7 local choirs from low-decile schools, helping them realise their dreams to attend and perform at a globally televised event. Here are some of the other highlights of the year for us...

Creative young musicians

The Freemasons Foundation continues to financially support both The Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Music NZ and the Manukau Symphony Orchestra – as well as nurturing our young and upcoming musicians. More at www.manukausymphony.org.nz

Outreach workshops - insights for hearing support

Hearing loss, whether due to occupational or age-related factors, can profoundly affect our lives. The Freemasons Foundation is assisting NFDHH to provide support to residents in retirement villages. Find out more at www.nfdhh.org.nz

Supporting medical science and research

Dr Jessie Jacobsen (centre) with Professor Russell Snell and Professor Klaus Lehnert at the Centre for Brain Research at The University of Auckland. Jacobsen says the new autism research clinic, supported by the Freemasons Foundation, will make genetic diagnosis for autism more widely available in NZ. Research also continues into the causes of dementia in NZ by using sheep studies. ‘Sheep serve as excellent models for Alzheimer’s disease research due to their longer life span, complex brain structure and genetic similarity to humans’ says Professor Snell. Find out more at www.freemasonsfoundation.org.nz

Trees for Survival is prepared for greater growth in 2025 

This is an ongoing project strongly supported by the Freemasons Foundation, designed to increase knowledge and enhance hands-on nurturing of NZ’s biodiversity with native replanting programmes by groups of young kids. Find out more at www.tfsnz.org.nz

The Big Sing nationwide

This is a secondary schools choral festival that takes place in 10 centres with 250 choirs and 8,000 singers participating. Only 24 choirs attend the Big Sing Finale. The Foundation enabled the livestream of the Finale, helping students and choir directors who did not make the cut upskill their performance for next year’s competition. Watch the performances onwww.nzcf.org.nz/events/nzcf-events/big-sing