The Graeme Dingle Foundation offers a journey of connected programmes that support young people at critical stages of development, helping them build the confidence, resilience, and direction needed to realise potential.
Kiwi Can is the first programme in this journey, designed to support tamariki as they move from childhood into early adolescence and begin forming the foundations of learning, identity, and independence.
Delivered in schools across Aotearoa, Kiwi Can serves children aged 5–12, a formative stage where attitudes, behaviours, and social patterns begin to take shape. At this age, children are not only developing academic skills but are actively learning how to relate to themselves, their peers, and the world around them.
A donation of $330 enables one child to access a full year of Kiwi Can. Donate Now.
Kiwi Can, delivered by the Graeme Dingle Foundation, is a structured, weekly programme delivered in schools by trained Kiwi Can Leaders, focusing on values and life skills through interactive, experience-based learning.
Many students report Kiwi Can as being the highlight of their week. Rather than simply teaching concepts for recall, Kiwi Can is designed to support real-world application – helping children translate ideas like respect, integrity, and resilience into how they behave, respond, and interact every day. Real world application rather than just recall is monitored and proven in research.
School leaders across Aotearoa consistently report that Kiwi Can has a visible impact on school culture and classroom behaviour. Teachers describe improved cooperation between students, stronger listening and engagement, and noticeable reductions in bullying and truancy. These are not abstract outcomes; they are reflected in how children show up in the classroom, on the playground, and in their relationships with others.
These changes can have a profound impact on a child’s development and future opportunities. For this age group, the emphasis on lived practice is critical.
Research and Evaluation of youth development programmes consistently highlights that early intervention is most effective when it focuses on repetition, modelling, and applied behaviour in real contexts – particularly during the primary and intermediate years when social and emotional frameworks are still being formed.
Kiwi Can builds these foundations through consistent exposure to positive role modelling and structured group experiences. Over time, tamariki demonstrate improved emotional regulation, including the ability to manage anger and resolve conflict more constructively. They also show increased confidence during key transitions, such as moving between schools, and stronger empathy and social awareness in how they relate to others.
The Graeme Dingle Foundation exists to address a fundamental truth: when young people are equipped with confidence, resilience, connection and purpose, they are more likely to thrive. And when they thrive, education outcomes improve, mental health improves, communities strengthen, and long-term social costs decrease.
More than 14,500 young people participate in Graeme Dingle Foundation programmes each year across 69 schools nationwide. In total, over 400,000 children have taken part in its programmes over the past three decades – forming part of a connected journey designed to meet young people at different stages of their development.
Kiwi Can sits at the foundation of that journey. It is where early habits are formed, where social confidence begins to take shape, and where children first experience structured support in how to navigate challenge, conflict, and connection.
A $330 donation ensures a child does not miss that foundation year. Donate Now and help a child access a year of life changing programmes.
For schools, it is a programme that strengthens classroom culture. For teachers, it is a tool that supports behaviour and wellbeing. For children, it is often the first time they are explicitly taught – and repeatedly shown – how to turn values into action.
“We feel very lucky to have had Kiwi Can in our school, and the difference it has made in helping foster a supportive and caring school environment. It is valued for helping our students grow into resilient and useful citizens who can work well with others, and Kiwi Can has been influential in their growth and development. We can see clearly how the programme aligns with and expands on our school values.” – AnnMaree Malloy, Principal, Glendene School.
“I have learnt to be confident in myself and to do what I know is right, (and) not to follow someone else who is doing the wrong thing. My Kiwi Can Leaders make me feel I have my own voice, and I can tell them almost anything.” – Kayla, Kiwi Can Student.
In a system where pressure on young people is increasing, and where wellbeing indicators continue to show strain, Kiwi Can represents a simple but significant intervention: building capability early, in the environments where children already are, before challenges escalate.
Donate and support a child to access our life changing programmes here.