We’re fortunate to have several charities connected with Basestation. From time to time, they reach out to our community asking for volunteers, and our residents always step up.

One of these groups is Stand Tall, a community trust founded by Pascale Hyboud Peron (also one of Basestation’s OG founders!). Their requests range from finding professionals to mentor student teams in the Young Enterprise Scheme to inviting residents to take part in panel discussions for their Onramps programme. Our residents genuinely enjoy engaging with rangatahi and sharing their wisdom and experience, in fact, many come back year after year to volunteer again.

Stand Tall has also delivered several Startup Weekends in Tauranga. This year’s event, held in March, featured a number of Basestation residents and friends both volunteering and participating!

Another organisation that often calls on our residents is STEM Wana Trust. Their biennial STEMFest regularly sees seasoned Basestation volunteers rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in. Even those who don’t volunteer often bring their whānau along to take part in the award-winning celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

STEM Wana also runs a monthly Repair Café, a free community initiative where people can bring domestic items to be fixed. It’s part of a global movement focused on repair, reuse, and reducing waste. Over the years, many Basestation residents and friends have put their hands up to help members of the public restore their broken items, returning them — where possible — to their former glory.

The final group we want to shout out is Global Ambassadors, a charitable organisation run by Kurt Cordice, another familiar face at Basestation. Global Ambassadors is a programme for rangatahi who are seeking to make a positive impact in their local and global communities, while also serving as role models for diversity, cooperation, and belonging.

A number of Basestation residents have been shoulder-tapped by Kurt to share their knowledge and wisdom with the group, contributing to the development of the next generation of leaders and changemakers.

All of these contributions help strengthen our community’s sense of purpose and connection. We’ve also found that volunteering is contagious — when new residents see others pitching in, they’re inspired to do the same.

We are incredibly proud of our community and their ongoing commitment to giving back — thank you. x