Humble Beginnings and Lots of Hard Work
In 2015, Joseph Youssef, our founder and Chief Encourager at All Heart NZ, was walking out of a friend’s accounting business when he noticed one of the offices stacked high with computers, desks, chairs and other unwanted goods.
‘That struck a chord with me; how many times during my corporate career did I see similar goods simply thrown away? How many times did I leave an unwanted phone, laptop or tablet lying in a drawer? Thanks to my years of social sector experience, I saw those redundant goods through fresh eyes; they were no longer a waste of space, but rather a pathway to bringing about social and environmental change.’
Joseph thought he was on to something. He talked to his friend Julie Knell, our National Relationships Manager, to see if they could create a sustainable enterprise that could Redirect high-quality preloved items from landfill to communities in need and raise funds for community good in the process.
Through their networks, they found a corporate that had an entire hangar full of unwanted and redundant items which were going to be sent to landfill. This was the opportunity they were waiting for – Joseph and Julie decided that if they received this contract, they would take the project forward.
On the 10th October 2016, All Heart NZ Charitable Trust was born.
Our first office/warehouse was a garage behind Whangaparaoa Baptist Church, in Auckland, which we shared with other organisations. Corporate clients and store customers had to walk down a bushy and winding path to find us there.
A little over one year later, in February 2018 (funds saved or raised*: NZ$ 1,931.81), we moved to Albany and opened our first Community Enterprise Store. This was a turning point for us as we were able to establish another avenue to raise funds for community good.
The opening of our Manukau Community Hub followed in August 2019 (funds saved or raised: NZ$ 4,100.00). This was another crucial development which offered a way for us to Repurpose items, create jobs and establish stronger partnerships in South Auckland – an area of high community need. This growth was followed by our latest addition to the All Heart Stores whanau in Wellington. The Wellington Community Enterprise Store was opened in August 2020 (funds saved or raised: NZ$ 6,194.45).
One-Stop Sustainability Solution
Meanwhile, we were working hard to clarify our vision and our mission as a Charitable Trust. We knew we were doing great work in communities by Redirecting items from landfill and Repurposing and up-cycling them. But the truth is that the problems we were solving by improving the ways corporate goods are disposed of did not have to exist in the first place.
With this in mind, we consulted our clients to understand their needs, problems and opportunities and realised that working alongside corporates to ensure their procurement decisions are ethical and sustainable is equally – if not more – important. The result was the creation of our Reduce partnerships. It focuses on the sustainable, ethical and social aspects of procurement and supply chain management. This service provides organisations with the expertise and tools they need to actively manage their social and environmental impacts.
We became a one-stop solution for corporate sustainability!
Fantastic Partners
Throughout our journey, we were fortunate to have reliable funders and strong government, corporate and community partners by our side. Unfortunately, we cannot mention them all – there are so many people doing good in their communities! However, you can watch some of them here and check out a few highlights below:
Auckland Council has been one of our major funders and partners. Not only did they fund part of our MDF Repurposing facilities in our Manukau Community Hub, but their Southern Initiative also donated 50 computers to low decile schools supporting students in south Auckland who did not have access to the internet during our lockdowns.
We also have amazing environmental partners such as Envision NZ, Uravelled Consultants, Zero Waste Network, Akina and Ethically Kate who continue to guide us along our sustainability path.
The NZ$7 Million Mark
As of December 2020, All Heart NZ has helped corporate partners divert 2.7 million kg of unwanted or redundant items. This represents over NZ$7 million funds saved or raised, helping more than 325 communities around Aotearoa NZ, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Pakistan and the Philippines.
These numbers mean that many alternative education facilities have been set up, schools and charities have received better equipment and maraes and community hubs were able to save crucial funds which were used in their own community development programmes (click here to hear how important the 29-meter stage we redirected from a 5-star hotel in central Auckland has been for Papakura Marae). This was all done by saving resources that would otherwise be wasted, contributing to the creation of a circular economy.
Towards a More Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand
As customers become increasingly aware of the impact of their decisions, businesses must consider carefully the socio-environmental impacts of their operations if they want to succeed.
This why we exist: we believe that improving the ways we both source and dispose of corporate goods can positively impact our planet and the quality of life of the people who help produce, reuse and dispose of it.
We are here to help your business thrive!
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All Heart NZ is a charitable trust. We believe that sustainable business practice can positively affect the lives of people and our planet. We see the value in recovering resources and establishing a circular solution that put people and planet first.
If you are a business who believes in sustainable operations that positively impact people and our planet, check out our services and find out why All Heart NZ truly is a one-stop. We are here to help your business thrive!
If you are someone who is after good quality pre-loved items and wants to make a positive impact in our communities and our environment, then shop for good at one of our All Heart Stores.
* We specify that the items were ‘saved’ because the recipients were given the preloved goods and did not have to buy them, and ‘raised’ because by selling the preloved items we were able to raise funds for communities in need.
As we embark on a new financial year, All Heart NZ is poised at the threshold of a transformative period. Our leadership team, recognizing the pivotal moment, recently dedicated an entire day to strategic planning.
As we embark on a new financial year, All Heart NZ is poised at the threshold of a transformative period. Our leadership team, recognizing the pivotal moment, recently dedicated an entire day to strategic planning.
As we embark on a new financial year, All Heart NZ is poised at the threshold of a transformative period. Our leadership team, recognizing the pivotal moment, recently dedicated an entire day to strategic planning.
