New Fidelity Life sponsorships aim to make a long-term difference to New Zealand communities.

Media release

2 August 2022  

New Zealand’s largest locally owned life insurer Fidelity Life has announced its sponsorship of two local not-for-profit organisations, Outward Bound and Bellyful, to help bolster the charities’ respective operations and give back to New Zealanders in a meaningful way.

Based in Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, Outward Bound helps people realise their potential through learned experiences of challenge, success and self-reflection, commonly utilising the outdoors and its elements to teach key life skills.

Bellyful is a growing, nationwide volunteer-driven charity, which nourishes and connects communities by cooking and delivering free meals to families with babies or young children who need support.

Fidelity Life Chief Executive Officer Melissa Cantell says the two charities were chosen based on their alignment to Fidelity Life’s brand and its purpose in making a tangible difference to New Zealanders today, and for future generations.

“As a proud New Zealand business, our brand is deeply rooted in the land, the people and our connection to nature. That gives us a sense of responsibility to protect what we’re proud of and ensure we’re contributing towards improving our society for all New Zealanders in a meaningful way.

“That’s why finding the right sponsorship fit is so important to us. Outward Bound and Bellyful were handpicked as we knew we could make a real impact, together.”

Fidelity Life’s sponsorship of Outward Bound features scholarships to enable 20 diverse young New Zealanders to complete a 21-day course at Anakiwa per year. They’ll develop lifelong skills to give back to their communities.

Separately, each year Fidelity Life will offer a group of advisers the opportunity to realise their potential by supporting them on a 5-day Outward Bound Professional course.

Fidelity Life will also launch a special programme for its people to attend an Outward Bound course to help grow and nurture future leadership talent.

“Stepping outside our comfort zone is often where we learn and grow the most. We can’t wait to see our scholarship recipients, our adviser partners and our people harness their Outward Bound experiences and build transferable skills and attitudes to take back to work, study and home, for life,” says Melissa.

Outward Bound Chief Executive Officer Malindi MacLean says the synergy the charity has found with Fidelity Life is something special.

“Being supported by organisations that understand the value of what we do and how it’s applied to the real world is important - and that’s what we’ve found in Fidelity Life. The sponsorship will make a tangible difference to the lives of the young New Zealanders who receive the Fidelity Life scholarships, and we know they will go on to positively contribute to their communities across New Zealand. 

“We’re seeing many of our youth struggling with their mental health, including dealing with the ongoing uncertainty from Covid, so providing an opportunity to equip them with skills to look after their wellbeing and build resilience is more important than ever.”

For Bellyful, Fidelity Life’s sponsorship will help scale and expand its operations to reach more families with young children who need support. This includes hosting Cookathons and food drives to help source ingredients and prepare meals, as well as tapping into Fidelity Life’s networks to promote and increase awareness of Bellyful.

Bellyful General Manager Wendy Thompson says: “We’re grateful to have Fidelity Life’s support, especially as demand for our service is rapidly growing. As we deal with the ongoing fallout from the pandemic and our cost of living continues to rise, more families will be under pressure and facing new challenges.

“A little help at the right time can have a huge impact on the families we support and can often have a flow-on effect for future generations. With the contribution from Fidelity Life, we take comfort in knowing we can now be there for a greater number of parents who don’t have a ‘village’ to help raise their family.”

For more information about Fidelity Life’s sponsorships and to learn more about Outward Bound and Bellyful visit:  fidelitylife.co.nz/for-the-good-of-new-zealand