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WAI Wanaka

We are a team of passionate people working to connect our community to our environment, so that both thrive. WAI Wanaka's kaupapa* is to empower communities to take …

Wanaka, Otago Reg: CC53728 (Charities Services) Sign up to see website
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86
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
86/100 · methodology

About WAI Wanaka

Purpose: Accelerating community action for fresh water WAI Wānaka is a community organisation dedicated to our vision of healthy ecosystems and community wellbeing for future generations. Research, science, education, collaboration and community action underpin our work. Our team are on the ground, working with individuals, urban action groups, rural catchment groups, landowners, councils, businesses, visitors, community groups, schools and pre-schools to improve ecosystem health, reverse biodiversity loss and keep our water healthy. Ultimately our end game is behaviour and systems change – altering the current trajectory with respect to environmental outcomes for our fresh water. We achieve our vision by; • Engaging, enabling and empowering communities for action to best serve the environment, • Ensuring that core research and monitoring …

Founded
Headquarters
Wanaka, Otago
Foundation type
Charitable Trust
Size
small
Operating in
New Zealand

Mission

We are a team of passionate people working to connect our community to our environment, so that both thrive. WAI Wanaka's kaupapa* is to empower communities to take action to achieve measurable, enduring benefits by better understanding their water, their environment and their impacts. With almost every catchment in Aotearoa New Zealand at risk from human activity in one way or another, we believe that it will take all of us, working together, to safeguard and sustain Te Taiao**. *Kaupapa is the māori word for purpose. **Te Taiao is the natural world that contains and surrounds us - land, water, climate and living beings. Te Taiao also refers to the interconnection of people and nature, an eternal relationship of respect, reciprocity and interdependence.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Operating countries (1)
New Zealand

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar environment in New Zealand
Integrity Assessment This charity: 86
Peer average: 86

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for Charities Services deregistration, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, WAI Wanaka has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources.

  • GiveRadar holds 9 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2025. See the filings
  • Its integrity score of 86 places it in the top 1% of the 1,162 environment charities in New Zealand GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its registration. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (9 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • third-party accreditation
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

WAI Wanaka is a registered environment nonprofit based in Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand. It is registered with Charities Services New Zealand. It was founded in 2016 and has been operating for 10 years. Its registration number is CC53728. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 86/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports NZ$957K in annual revenue. 8 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

WAI Wanaka's official registration number is CC53728, as recorded in the national registry of New Zealand.

WAI Wanaka has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 86 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for environment charities in New Zealand is 86/100.

WAI Wanaka is located in Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand. The organization was established in 2016 and has been active for 10 years.

Based on official tax filings, WAI Wanaka has NZ$957K in annual revenue. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

WAI Wanaka is classified as an Environment organization, registered in New Zealand. It operates as a Charitable Trust. By size, it is categorized as a small organization. It has NZ$957K in annual revenue. The organization has 8 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for WAI Wanaka. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, WAI Wanaka is registered with Charities Services New Zealand and overseen by Charities Services. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Purpose: Accelerating community action for fresh water WAI Wānaka is a community organisation dedicated to our vision of healthy ecosystems and community wellbeing for future generations. Research, science, education, collaboration and community action underpin our work. Our team are on the ground, working with individuals, urban action groups, rural catchment groups, landowners, councils, businesses, visitors, community groups, schools and pre-schools to improve ecosystem health, reverse biodiversity loss and keep our water healthy. Ultimately our end game is behaviour and systems change – altering the current trajectory with respect to environmental outcomes for our fresh water. We achieve our vision by; • Engaging, enabling and empowering communities for action to best... WAI Wanaka is classified as an environment organization registered in New Zealand. The organization was founded in 2016.

Among environment charities registered in New Zealand: Its annual revenue of NZ$957K is comparable to the peer average of NZ$798K.

WAI Wanaka is registered with Charities Services New Zealand. If the organization has donee status approved by Inland Revenue, individual donations over $5 qualify for a 33.33% tax credit. You can claim up to the lesser of your total donations or your taxable income.

Annual revenue
NZ$100K-NZ$1M
Source: nz_charities (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

9 years on file from nz_charities (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020, FY2019, FY2018, FY2017.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of New Zealand under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
12

Leadership

From FY2025 filing

DO
Donald R••••••••
Trustee

Officers & trustees (8)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

8 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

10 articles found

From news sources and the organization. Shown for transparency; news never affects the integrity score.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Students tackle riverside clean-up - Wanaka App
Jun 2026
wanakaapp.nz
Dawn plunge, yoga, and beers: World Water Day lineup - Wanaka App
Mar 2026
wanakaapp.nz
Form filed
NZ$1.0M revenue
FY2025
NZ_CHARITIES
Mural makes ‘the invisible visible’ – Wānaka powerbox artwork highlights hidden aquatic life - Wanaka App
Dec 2025
wanakaapp.nz
New partnership provides boost to WAI Wānaka - Wanaka App
Aug 2025
wanakaapp.nz
Former DivI Swimmer Livi Schmid Looking to Become 6th Person Ever to Swim Across Lake Wānaka - SwimSwam
Feb 2025
swimswam.com
Form filed
NZ$1.9M revenue
FY2024
NZ_CHARITIES
Bird of century grebe dies from Lake Wānaka plastic pollution - crux.org.nz
Jul 2024
crux.org.nz
New gallery for local artist - Wanaka App
Jun 2024
wanakaapp.nz
Santa Claus is coming to town - Wanaka App
Mar 2024
wanakaapp.nz
Form filed
NZ$2.3M revenue
FY2023
NZ_CHARITIES
Big changes for WAI Wānaka - Wanaka App
Jun 2023
wanakaapp.nz
Form filed
NZ$1.8M revenue
FY2022
NZ_CHARITIES
WAI Wanaka to receive part of $8m fund - Otago Daily Times
Jul 2022
www.odt.co.nz
Form filed
NZ$1.3M revenue
FY2021
NZ_CHARITIES
Form filed
NZ$0.2M revenue
FY2020
NZ_CHARITIES
Form filed
NZ$0.4M revenue
FY2019
NZ_CHARITIES
Form filed
NZ$0.0M revenue
FY2018
NZ_CHARITIES
Form filed
NZ$0.0M revenue
FY2017
NZ_CHARITIES

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Cause areas in New Zealand

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Education 7,509
Religion 4,620
Health 3,765
Arts & Culture 2,947
Community Development 2,298
Social Services 1,937
Sports & Recreation 1,323
Environment this charity 1,162
See all cause areas in New Zealand

Most common causes in New Zealand

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Education 6,102
Religion 4,144
Community Development 2,178
Arts & Culture 1,831
Health 1,761
Poverty 1,602
Cultural Heritage 1,273
Disability 1,051

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Charities Services New Zealand
Financial filings
Charities Services New Zealand - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Charities Services New Zealand - 8 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
GlobalGiving partner directory

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 19, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 19, 2026
Profile completeness
75%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 8
  • Financial data · FY2025 on record
  • Named leadership · 8 officers on file
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Founding date · 2016
Not available · 3
  • Executive pay
    Top-officer pay not disclosed
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity
  • Tax-deductibility
    Not verified

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about WAI Wanaka

What is WAI Wanaka?
WAI Wanaka is a environment charitable trust based in Wanaka, New Zealand. Purpose: Accelerating community action for fresh water WAI Wānaka is a community organisation dedicated to our vision of healthy ecosystems and community wellbeing for future generations. Research, science, education, collaboration and community action underpin our work. Our team are on the ground, working with individuals, urban action groups, rural catchment groups, landowners, councils, businesses, visitors, community groups, schools and pre-schools to improve ecosystem health, reverse biodiversity loss and keep our water healthy. Ultimately our end game is behaviour and systems change – altering the current trajectory with respect to environmental outcomes for our fresh water. We achieve our vision by; • Engaging, enabling and empowering communities for action to best serve the environment, • Ensuring that core research and monitoring are in place to support long-term freshwater management decisions, and • Successfully partnering to accelerate enduring environmental solutions.
When was WAI Wanaka founded?
WAI Wanaka was founded in 2016.
Where is WAI Wanaka located?
Headquartered in Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand.
What is WAI Wanaka's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately NZ$100K-NZ$1M.
Is WAI Wanaka trustworthy?
WAI Wanaka has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is WAI Wanaka's registration number?
Registration: CC53728 (New Zealand).
What is WAI Wanaka's website?
https://www.waiwanaka.nz
Are donations to WAI Wanaka tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of New Zealand under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.