A new trust has been set up to encourage the Kāpiti community to take greater care of both self and others.
The Kāpiti Kindness Trust wants people to "feel empowered to do what they need to do in order to maintain their wellness and to also actively contribute to the wellbeing of others in their community through the medium of kindness".
"A guiding belief here is that kindness fuels connection and deeper connection between people within the community will in turn lead to happier and more content people.
"We all need to feel like we belong, that we matter, that we are cared about and that we have the ability to care for others."
Martin Sloman, a counsellor from Paraparaumu Beach, voiced his kindness concept when he addressed an Electra Business Breakfast last year.
Kitty Fitton, who is one of a number of people helping the trust too, has created the trust's website and more.
Martin Sloman and Kitty Fitton are part of the Kapiti Kindness Trust. Photo / David Haxton
One of the first initiatives is a monthly kindness award where the recipient is given a gift box kindly donated by Valerie and Timo Reitnauer who own the company We Love Local.
Another aspect is creating a "community pot" where funds can help support people "reset the compass", fund kindness initiatives, create an opportunity for GPs to offer a "kindness script", report and publicise kindness acts, and create a general sense in the community that "kindness is cool".
One of the ways people can contribute is by setting up an automatic payment, such as $2 a month.
The trust has calculated that if everyone in Kāpiti set up an automatic payment of $2 a month it would generate $112,000 per month or over $1.3 million per year to support the project.
A two-stage verification process would help ensure support went to the right person.
"There's a trust element to it," Sloman said.
"They [donors] trust we will spend their money wisely and we will.
"It [automatic payment] is affordable to most people in the community."
