“When donating to TotSCF the investment horizon is many decades into the future, therefore any time there is market weakness it should be seen as a favourable time to donate,” says Craig Investment Partners’ Nelson Investment Advisor, Karl Williscroft.

“Most of us are investing in the hope of meeting our long-term goals, which are usually some five, 10 or 20 years into the future. With that in mind, it makes little sense to react to weekly, monthly or even yearly volatility.”

Karl says Craig Investment Partners (Craigs) places immense value on supporting the local communities; “that we work and live in, and it’s very much the fabric of our business.  

“As founding partners of the Community Foundations New Zealand (CFNZ) alongside The Tindall Foundation, we are huge advocates of their endowment model and the impact that they, along with generous locals, deliver to our communities.”

 Working with Top of the South Community Foundation continues to be an absolute pleasure.

“Although our discussions are focussed on the decades ahead, we are already seeing a positive impact from donations within our community.”

Reflecting on the current economic environment, Karl says ups and downs have always been part of share investing, and they always will be.

“A benefit of the “down” period is that we can use them to make sure we’re positioned for the inevitable “ups”.

“Investing isn’t about trying to pick the moods of the market; it’s about building and managing a well-constructed portfolio in line with goals and objectives,” Karl says.

 Dave Ashcroft, chair of TotSCF says it is a pleasure to work with Karl and the Craigs’ team. “Craigs have been very supportive of TotSCF, including with operational funding, and the Investment Advisory Committee has a very good working relationship with them.

“TotSCF Trustees have a fundamental responsibility to protect, manage and grow endowment funds, and our relationship with Craigs ensures we always focus on compliance with our own Investment Policy Statement, with an investment profile to achieve our ‘in perpetuity’ goals.”

TotSCF trustee Bill Agnew says Karl has helped the investment committee through the current difficult period for investors with professional advice and conservative investment strategies. “Through regular meetings and reports we are kept well informed about the investment markets.

“Karl and the Craigs team understand the Community Foundation model as they have been involved with Community Foundations from the start. They are very supportive of TotSCF as a Gold partner and also as a regular donor through the Craigs Christmas Giving Programme.”