Z Energy and Dave Letele call on charity and community groups to get involved in Good in the Hood
Community June 4, 2024
Z Energy (Z) is once again sharing $1 million with local charity and community groups across Aotearoa New Zealand through its community initiative Good in the Hood, and applications for groups wanting to be involved are now open.
Well-known community advocate Dave Letele – who is also Z’s Good in the Hood ambassador – is encouraging charity and community groups, big or small, to get involved.
“This is an epic opportunity to for groups doing good out in their communities to get a little bit of extra help. It’s not only about getting a share of $1 million, but also about raising the profile of the mahi you are doing for your local community.”
Dave’s own BBM (Brown Buttabean Motivation), an Auckland-based not-for-profit focused on empowering its community to achieve health and fitness goals, was one of over 500 different groups supported through the initiative in 2023.
Z’s Head of Community and Sustainability, Abbie Bull said “one of my favourite things about Good in the Hood is it allows for the community to decide where the funding should go. It’s also pretty inspiring to hear more about all the different groups doing amazing mahi”.
2023 saw the total amount of community donations from Z exceed a $10 million milestone since its inception. Hundreds of organisations have benefitted from Good in the Hood funding over the past decade, including Good Bitches Baking, which distributes volunteer-made sweet treats to people going through tough times; Meat the Need, an organisation that works with farmers to donate mince and milk powder to families in need; and Big Buddy, the charity that makes a difference to boys without a dad in their lives.
Through Good in the Hood, $1 million is divvied up between Z’s service stations, with each store choosing four different community groups to support. Customers who shop in-store during the voting period then get to have a say in how the money is split between groups, by voting for their favourite local group with an orange token.