Since 2005, Building for Education has been working to provide education facilities in East Africa.
Who We Are
Formerly known as Hope Foundation Development NZ, Building for Education is a New Zealand Government registered charitable trust run100% by volunteers, with no paid staff.
Building for Education is registered with the NZ Charities Commission – No. CC24028 – and has been granted offshore tax-free status by the Inland Revenue Department in addition to being recognised as a charitable trust. This means donations are tax deductible for New Zealand tax payers. At be* our policy is that a minimum of 90% of all project donations will be delivered directly to on-ground projects. be* gives 100% of Small Change donations to the Moindabi project.
Structurally consisting of an operational board with quarterly reviews from our governance and advisory board, be* divides its operations into two distinct management sectors:
East African operations: Overseeing project management, research, construction, design and resource allocation.
New Zealand operations: Overseeing fundraising, skilled volunteer management, public and corporate relations and communications.
Contact Details
Postal Address:
PO Box 48228,
Blockhouse Bay Auckland 0644
Email: Info@be.org.nz
Phone: 021 246 1388
Governance Board
Dr Jim Bentley - Chairman
Jim Bentley has more than 30 years of leadership in the international infrastructure sector. He has held executive positions in water companies based in the UK ,Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, and was the inaugural director of the Centre for Infrastructure Research at the University of Auckland, led a New Zealand based infrastructure professional services firm, and has been CEO of the Water Sector for the New South Wales Government in Australia. After 17 years in New Zealand and Australia, Jim moved back to the UK in 2022 from where he is involved in a number of consultancies, and advisory projects, largely in the learning and infrastructure sectors.
John Blaiklock - Executive Director
Managing Director of a medium sized construction company in NZ and with over two decades of experience managing a nation-wide property portfolio, John BLaiklock brings to be* an intimate understanding of how to help organisations manage and grow their property assets. As a founding trust member, John has 20 years' experience building projects in East Africa.
John Buchan- Project Manager
Previously the founder, owner and director of a high end construction company with more than 45 years experience in this industry. Previously registered as a New Zealand Licensed Building Practitioner in multiple classes, including; Carpentry, Bricklaying, Blocklaying and Site 2. He is currently coaching in the mentoring sector, and donating his time to this charity and others.
Nadine Hill
Partner and senior investment manager at the Punakaiki Fund. Nadine joined ‘2040 Ventures’ in October 2020, and was made a principal in March 2022. Nadine has a BCom from Massey University and has 15 years of experience in International Capital in Australasia and the United Kingdom. Nadine was previously an Investment Manager at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and a Director of Project and Acquisition Finance at Westpac.
How Does be* Identify and Approve Projects?
With over 10 years' experience working in the challenging aid and development environment of East Africa, Building for Education has been able to establish strong partnerships in East Africa.
We rely heavily on credible local knowledge to help us identify appropriate prospects. We assess all potential projects and put them through our analysis matrix, a simple but exhaustive set of criteria. We consider a number of factors: location, school governance, community involvement, government accreditation and land ownership, to name a few. Final quality control in project sign-off is undertaken by experienced New Zealand construction professionals, who regularly visit all sites (at their own cost), observing, inspecting, liaising with designers and engineers, photographing progress and results, monitoring quotations and accounting. Complimenting this, various contracted independent professionals in each location or territory are used in assessing workmanship and quality outcomes. We also are providing increased awareness and coaching in Health & Safety.
What Quality Control Process Does be* Undertake on its Projects?
Building for Education provides a project template designed to be flexible in the right areas (such as local geographic conditions and individualised project outcomes) and set in stone other vital areas (such as building design, construction materials and use, stage by stage reporting and timelines). Final quality control and project sign-off is undertaken by a contracted independent party in each territory to avoid corruption and ensure that be* projects meet the highest standards and to ensure longevity.
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Get in touch today.