Kiwi rich-lister Annette Presley has launched the Annette Presley Dream Foundation to support young people and women. Video / Herald NOW
Annette Presley has launched the Annette Presley Dream Foundation to support young people and women.
The foundation will fund initiatives in health, education, leadership and wellbeing, with a minimum grant of $10,000.
Applications open on July 1 and run to August 31, with successful applicants notified by the end of October.
Kiwi rich-lister Annette Presley remembers the moment she wanted to start making a real difference in the world.
She was at a school in Auckland giving a speech about her tough early days, including when she had been kicked out of home and had to live in her car. Asmall boy raised his hand to ask a question.
About 8 years old, he asked how long she had to live in her car for. He, too, had been living in a car at such a tender age.
“It really changed me,” she said, adding “I could probably cry” as she recounted the story.
The interaction, which has remained with the prominent businesswoman for years, is one of the reasons she cites for launching a new charitable foundation aimed at supporting young people and women.
The multi-million dollar charitable organisation, the Annette Presley Dream Foundation, will invite applications from charities and a board will choose which to fund. The minimum amount of funding will be $10,000, and there is no upper limit, she said.
Presley, a philanthropist and tech entrepreneur, spoke of her upbringing in South Auckland, saying she did not have all the resources or funding to achieve her dreams, but was lucky to land on her feet.
“I grew up in an environment where many of my best friends were addicted to drugs, were involved with gangs, were having babies ... I myself lived with a gang for 18 months. I was lucky in that my grandmother became my guardian angel and she helped me,” she said.
Her grandmother took her in and helped her pursue a job in computer programming.
“She just loved me and supported me, and I think everybody deserves a break in life where they can go ‘hey, someone believes in me’.”
Not every girl had someone to help pull them out of a hard life, and Presley wanted to support initiatives that provided help to girls who might be “budding stars” to achieve their full potential.
“We can help them to impact New Zealand, maybe impact the world.”
Annette Presley, who founded Slingshot, is a well-known Kiwi businesswoman and tech entrepreneur. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The stories Presley had heard about other people’s hardships motivated her to start her earlier charity, Elicit, which helps girls find and chase their dreams.
“It’s all well and good to go around giving speeches, but actually, these girls need real hope.
“You can’t help everybody, but if you can help one person, that can help a family, a community, to make a difference. Maybe they will become a Nasa scientist, and they weren’t going to become that.”
“This foundation isn’t about charity, it’s about belief. Belief in people, in second chances, in small beginnings, and in the big things that can happen when someone backs you,” she said.
“I’ve always believed that when you lift one person, you lift a community. If I can help even one person reach their potential, that’s a win in my eyes and worthy of my time and money.“
Presley said the foundation was about giving women and young people the tools, confidence and support to “step into their power” and help community groups who were already doing the work.
“My dream for this foundation is to inject a bit of hope and optimism for all those working to make a difference.”
The first round of applications opens on July 1 and runs to August 31, with successful applicants notified by the end of October. In 2026, there will be another two funding rounds in March and August.
Applicants can go to annettepresley.co.nz for more information.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
