Our year
at a glance

2020

"When I’ve seen an opportunity I haven’t sat down and called a committee meeting… we’ve gone out and done it."

- Professor Fred Hollows

01 Our Vision / Our Purpose

Our Vision

A world in which no person is needlessly blind or vision impaired.

Our Purpose

We work to end avoidable blindness and vision impairment in the Pacific.

We advocate for the right of all people to high-quality and affordable eye care.

We strive for eye care to be locally-led and accessible to all. In doing this we continue Fred’s legacy.

02 A word from our leaders

Craig Fisher

Craig Fisher Board Chair

If I had to choose one word to describe Team Fred during 2020, it would be kaha - strength. The innate strength of Team Fred was tested during 2020, and it prevailed.

As we said farewell to our Executive Director, Andrew Bell, global borders closed, and New Zealand and the Pacific region locked down. Working alongside the senior leadership team, expertly led by acting CEO, Sharon Orr, the Board enacted an agile management framework to ensure operations could safely continue.

Despite COVID-19 impacting our ability to deliver many of our planned programmes, alternative ways of delivering outcomes were found. Some 2020 programme investment was, by necessity, reduced or deferred which is reflected in our year-end result. However, that funding has been reallocated to the 2021 year and as soon as possible our programme delivery volume will increase to address patient backlog.

As soon as they safely could, our team continued surgeries and our supported students continued learning remotely. I am proud to report that, despite all the considerable challenges faced, 74 per cent of supported students successfully completed their studies.

A global search to find a new leader for Team Fred resulted in the appointment of Dr Audrey Aumua as CEO. We are thrilled to welcome someone with such mana, experience, and deep networks in the Pacific and New Zealand.

Finally, the Board would like to acknowledge the fantastic and truly appreciated ongoing support of our partners, funders and donors who remain as committed as ever to our vision. Your contribution is making a difference, now more than ever.

2021 will be a year like no other as we meet the increased demand and work alongside Pacific governments and ministries as they manage health needs amidst depleted economies. Thank you to my skilled and hardworking fellow board members and on behalf of the Board, kia kaha to our partners, our patients and all who support our ongoing work eliminating avoidable blindness and vision impairment in the Pacific.

Dr Audrey Aumua

Dr Audrey Aumua Chief Executive Officer

I feel very proud and privileged to have joined Team Fred and excited about what we will achieve together in the coming years.

It would be highly remiss of me to comment on the results of 2020 without acknowledging the resilient and capable team that navigated one of the most difficult and uncertain periods New Zealand and the Pacific have encountered. Firstly, I must thank acting CEO, Sharon Orr, whose experience and commitment meant I have begun my tenure in a strong position.

The capability of Team Fred lies in its unique and highly skilled workforce. I must acknowledge Dr John Szetu and his senior team of eye doctors, nurses, lecturers, and support staff whom he works with across the Pacific. Despite lockdowns, funding reallocations and natural disasters, Dr John and his team continued supporting trainee eye doctors and nurses and treating patients whenever and wherever it was safe to do so. It is also important to acknowledge the ministries of health, our partners and our donors who have vigilantly remained committed to Fred’s vision in these challenging times.

To the team in New Zealand. No matter what was going on this team logged on, adapted, and most importantly kept going and continued to deliver the support to Dr John and the teams in the region.

And finally, I must acknowledge Andrew Bell, who boldly led the development of Team Fred and its world-class eye care programmes and infrastructure. I am honoured to continue the work he has begun.

Thanks to the efforts of so many, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ Group is in exactly the position it needs to be to step up and work alongside our partners to address avoidable blindness in the Pacific. COVID-19 will bring further challenges, but we are ready.

Dr John Szetu

Dr John Szetu Medical Director

As I reflect on 2020, I could not be prouder of our medical team. 2020 brought us every curveball we could imagine. Despite the uncertainty, difficulty and fear we kept going.

Despite border closures and national lockdowns, our teams completed 152 outreaches in 2020, which resulted in the treatment of thousands of people. This was possible only because we have at least one eye doctor in every country we work in now. Thank goodness for that!

Despite university closures and repatriations, our education programmes continued online. Many students were recalled by their ministries of health to participate in COVID-19 response programmes. Most have, or intend to, resume studies as soon as they are able. Continuing to train eye doctors and nurses is critical to our ability to reduce avoidable blindness and vision impairment in this new environment.

My focus continues to be on supporting our staff and graduates across the Pacific as they navigate a new working environment. I am also working with our partners to deliver more surgeries and outreaches so we can address the patient backlog resulting from COVID-19 and continue to help patients suffering from avoidable blindness and vision impairment across the Pacific.

We may be tired, but we are not beaten. We have work to do.

03 What we do

Snapshots of success

The positive differences we have made with your support.

0
Consultations
71,977 in 2020
0
Surgeries
3,328 in 2020
0
Graduates
17 in 2020
0
Eye clinics

  1. Restoring and preserving sight

    11,084
    Patients screened for diabetes eye disease
    1,937
    Patients received treatment for diabetes eye disease
    9,329
    Spectacles dispensed
    925
    Surgeries conducted at the Mobile Eye Centre in Fiji – a new annual record

  2. Training & supporting doctors & nurses

    1
    Doctor from Papua New Guinea graduated as a fully qualified eye doctor
    12
    Nurses from throughout the Pacific graduated as fully qualified eye nurses
    2
    Eye nurses from Fiji completed their Master's qualification
    2
    Health extension officers from Papua New Guinea graduated with a qualification in eye care
    91
    Eye care professionals participated in professional development workshops

  3. Strengthening local health systems

    3
    Nurses completed clinical attachment training for diabetes eye disease in Fiji
    Diabetes education sheets and referral processes were developed in Solomon Islands in partnership with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services
    124
    Primary level clinicians across the Pacific trained to recognise and refer diabetic patients for eye care

  4. Driving innovation and research

    University of Auckland Master’s thesis researching differences in cataract outcomes across Fiji completed in partnership with The Foundation
    Fiji Mobile Eye Clinic internal review data collection completed
    Qualitative assessment underway to explore the impact of diabetes eye disease training for community health workers

04 Throughout the Pacific

Country highlights

We work alongside governments, ministries and national departments of health, local health authorities and universities in seven Pacific countries to action outputs noted in national health plans. These actions develop each country’s capacity to deliver quality eye health services through the education and ongoing support of eye health doctors and nurses who provide surgical clinics and outreaches. Each milestone we reach together results in improved livelihoods and economic wellness due to stronger, more resilient health systems providing better access to quality eye care for more and more people in the Pacific. Tap a country below to see the 2020 achievements.

PNG Country Manager

Eileen Tugum

Eileen Tugum is The Foundation’s new Papua New Guinea Country Manager, based in Port Moresby.


"The overall blindness rate in Papua New Guinea for those over 50 is the worst in the Pacific and possibly the highest in the world.
I hope to help further the vision of Professor Fred Hollows to reach all in PNG with quality eye care through outreaches, strengthened
partnerships with government and all stakeholders, strengthening eye health infrastructure and building up the eye care workforce
in the country.”

05 COVID-19

COVID-19 challenges, but does not break Team Fred

As COVID-19 reached the shores of the Pacific and New Zealand, Team Fred like many others worldwide, encountered myriad unforeseen challenges.

University closures, repatriations and doctor recalls interrupted the study of our training eye doctors and nurses. Despite that, 74 per cent of our supported students completed their studies remotely. And as virus outbreaks brought increased health risks to all communities, focus quickly turned to developing and testing of pandemic protocols to keep our people and patients safe.

National lockdowns and border closures meant planned surgeries and Outreaches could not occur. Despite the challenges, we had a huge advantage. In 2019 we reached a significant milestone in having one eye doctor in each of the countries we work in. This meant treatment could continue when it was safe to do so, and our medical teams supported 152 Outreaches across the Pacific throughout 2020.

The unspent budget allocated for programme work in 2020 will be utilised during 2021 as we begin the mammoth task of catching up. We are confident that, with the support of our funders and donors and the resilience of our people and procedures, we can and will meet the challenges that COVID-19 has delivered.

06Patient stories

Shaylan

At five months old, Shaylan saw his mother and father for the first time. Dr Carole Poloso, a member of our Graduate Programme made that happen.

Shaylan was born with cataracts in both eyes, a condition that must be treated early if his vision was to develop normally. Removing the cataracts was life-changing, not just for Shaylan, but also for his mum and dad. When Shaylan first saw his mother, his face lit up.

Shaylan will soon need another operation because the cataracts will try to grow again. Then, he will be given glasses, custom-made to fit his tiny face. With them he should have 80 per cent vision and, importantly, his sight will develop.

Read the story at hollows.org.nz

Ashita

Ashita has diabetes eye disease. While her diabetes was diagnosed when she was 15, her eye disease was diagnosed ten years later. She was treated with injections, with follow-up treatment scheduled at regular intervals.

However, the COVID-19 state of emergency put all treatment on hold. Team Fred got treatment up and running as soon as we could and Ashita’s treatment has resumed. Sight lost from diabetes eye disease is irreversible so we cannot restore Ashita’s sight fully. However, the treatment is slowing the decline, giving her many more years of independence.

Ashita is not alone. There are thousands like her in Fiji, in desperate need of treatment. Despite COVID-19, our teams worked hard to see and treat those with diabetes eye disease as early as possible.

Read the story at hollows.org.nz

Poufia

Poufia was a chief of his village, respected and loved. A local legend who was known for his hard work, his sense of fun and his good deeds. He was fit and active…and starting to go blind. His condition continued to worsen until he became blind in both eyes. With that his life changed. He stopped working on the farm, playing cards with his friends, or seeing others who held him in such high regard.

In 2019, Poufia turned 90 and had been totally blind for ten years. He thought he would die blind. But Samoan eye doctor Dr Lucilla Ah Ching-Sefo, a recent graduate of the Pacific Eye Institute in Fiji, started an outreach programme to the island. By the end of that year Poufia could see again. Imagine his joy seeing his family at Christmas for the first time in a decade. He received gifts, but for Poufia no gift compared with the return of his sight. You may say others whose sight was restored felt the same. Perhaps so, but there is a poignancy to this story. This was Poufia’s last Christmas, he died a few months later.

Read the story at hollows.org.nz

07 Key event

The Foundation welcomes Dr Audrey Aumua as our new CEO

Following an extensive international search, in September we were delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Audrey Aumua as our new Chief Executive Officer.

The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ Chair, Craig Fisher, said, “Audrey brings a wealth of experience and leadership in research, policy development and management in the health and education sectors across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific region.”

Joining The Foundation from The Pacific Community’s (SPC) Suva office, where she was Deputy Director-General, Audrey has previously undertaken leadership roles in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and Fiji.

“Returning to New Zealand and becoming a part of ‘Team Fred’ I feel like I have come full circle. Anyone who has worked in public health in the Pacific knows that eye health is critical to sustainable development in the region,” said Audrey.

08 IAPB Awards

IAPB recognises Dr Mundi & Andrew Bell

We were delighted that our former Executive Director, Andrew Bell and Chief Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Mundi Qoqonokana were both recipients of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) 2020 Vision Excellence Awards.

IAPB is the overarching alliance for the global eye health sector. It encompasses more than 150 organisations in over 100 countries, which like The Foundation, are working together for a world where everyone has universal access to eye care.

The Vision Excellence Awards recognise the commitment and achievements of individuals who have contributed to successful outcomes in the prevention of blindness.

Andrew and Dr Mundi join a high calibre group of awardees. It is wonderful to see the commitment and achievements of Andrew and Dr Mundi to ending preventable blindness in the Pacific recognised globally.

09 Spotlight on supporters

Specsavers and Fatu Feu’u give the gift of sight

Specsavers and internationally renowned Samoan-New Zealand artist Fatu Feu’u collaborated with The Foundation during 2020, to bring the gift of sight to even more people in the Pacific.

Specsavers launched two limited-edition frames, a pair of spectacle frames and a pair of sunglasses, featuring artwork from Fatu’s Rainforest Series. Specsavers donated $25 from each of these limited-edition frames to The Foundation.

Fatu Feu’u is known as the “Father of contemporary Pacific art’. He grew up in the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa and emigrated to New Zealand in the 1960s. He is the bearer of two Samoan matai titles: the ali‘i title of Lesa, given by his mother’s family, of Sa‘anapu, and the tulafale title of Si‘a, conferred by his father’s family, of Poutasi.

The collaboration raised $80,000, which will be put toward eye care programmes in Samoa and the mobile eye clinic in Fiji. Thank you to Fatu Feu’u, Specsavers and everyone who purchased a pair of the limited-edition glasses. In improving your sight you’ve given the gift of sight to others as well.

2020 Humanity Awards nominees encapsulate the best of New Zealand

The Humanity Awards are a global movement established to recognise compassionate children following our founder and legendary New Zealander, the late Professor Fred Hollows.

In a year that has seen our country face some unusual and challenging times, something that has been evident is the humanity of everyday New Zealanders. This humanity was evident in the large number of students nominated for the second annual Humanity Awards from throughout New Zealand.

It was an incredibly difficult decision to decide on the Humanity Awards Junior Ambassador. However, Elly Roadly’s nomination from her teacher at Whangaparoa School, Hamish Ross, stood out for her compassionate nature and selfless acts.

Thanks to a donation of $5000 from our charity partner Specsavers, Elly able was to extend her humanity by allocating the funds to Fiji’s “eye clinic on wheels” – The Mobile Eye Clinic.

Read the story at hollows.org.nz

Brave Dorothy takes a dive for Fred

In July 2020, Dorothy Pattison, a long-term supporter of The Foundation, became the oldest person to bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge, to raise money for the needlessly blind in the Pacific.

At 91, daredevil Dorothy set the record alongside her son Michael (60) and granddaughter Jeanie (24). She said doing it with her family made it a particularly special experience.

With a connection to Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore, Dorothy said she has seen the area from land, from the sea and even from the sky, but this was the first time she had seen it hanging by a rope from the Bridge.

Dorothy raised an incredible $1,000 for The Foundation meaning she has restored sight to the equivalent of 40 needlessly blind people in the Pacific. We think that is pretty special.

Read the story at hollows.org.nz

10 Looking forward

2021 Projects

2021 Projects

As COVID-19 locked down the Pacific during 2020, the number of people desperately needing eye care grew larger every day our clinics were closed. And, with our experienced surgical Outreach Team unable to travel to support local teams, the patient backlog grew and grew. To clear the backlog, the team is planning more surgeries, more patient consultations, and more Outreaches during 2021. But they can’t do it alone.

The 2021 Future Fund projects will hard-code the resilience required to see us through what will be an incredibly tough few years and help us emerge to an even stronger future.

Download The Future Fund

11 Financial summary 2020

Financial summary 2020

Financial Performance for the year ending 31 December 2020. The information in this report has been summarised from the audited consolidated annual financial statements of The Fred Hollows Foundation (NZ) for the year ending 31 December 2020. The full audited financial statements are available for download on the last page of this web report or on the Charities Services website.

Total 2020 expenses reduced by nearly $1.7 million compared with 2019 due to the effects of COVID-19. Outreach cancellations, clinic closures and study deferments drove a significant but necessary reduction in programmes and public education expenses of just over $1.5 million, compared with 2019. Fundraising, communication and shared services expenses reduced by just over $160,000, compared with 2019.

Programme funding unspent in 2020 has been reallocated to the 2021 year to allow us to increase programme delivery volume to address the patient backlog created by the effects of COVID-19.

12 Our people

Patrons

Gabi Hollows

AO, Founding Director
The Fred Hollows Foundation

The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy

GNZM, QSO
Governor-General of New Zealand

Executive Team

  • Dr Audrey Aumua PhD (Public Policy), MInstD

    Chief Executive Officer (commenced 18 January 2021)

  • Andrew Bell MMin (Global Studies and Immigration), BTheol, BSc

    Acting Chief Executive Officer (28 March 2020 – 17 January 2021), Finance and Operations Director

  • Margi Mellsop

    Engagement Director

  • Peter Raynes MSc (Public Health in Developing Countries)

    Programme Director

  • Dr John Szetu MSc (Ophthalmology), DO, MBBS

    Medical Director

Board of Trustees

  • Craig Fisher (Chair) FCA, CMInstD

    Consultant, RSM New Zealand Group; Associate, BoardWorks Aotearoa; Councillor, Auckland District Law Society; Risk & Audit Committee Chair, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei; Trustee, Sustainable Coastlines

  • Sir Maarten Wevers (Deputy Chair and PNG Expansion Programme Committee Chair) KNZM, CMInstD
  • Martin Enright (Finance, Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committee Chair) BA, LLB, LLM, MBA, MPA, MInstD

    Advisory Board, Otago University Business School; Commercial Partners Manager, PredictHQ; Managing Director, Vulcan Bros. Advisory; Admitted Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of NZ; Solicitor of Supreme Court of NSW, Solicitor of High Court of Australia (leave of absence until 6 August 2020)

  • Dr Nick Mantell (Programme, Clinical Audit and Risk Committee Chair) FRANZCO

    Ophthalmologist; Director, Eye Institute

  • Professor Charles McGhee ONZM, FRSNZ, MBChB, PhD, DSc, FRCS, FRANZCO, FRCOphth

    Maurice Paykel Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology, The University of Auckland; Director, New Zealand National Eye Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland; Consultant Ophthalmologist, Greenlane Clinical Centre, Auckland District Health Board; Consultant Ophthalmologist, Eye Institute

  • Debbie Sorensen DCCT, CMInstD, NZRPN

    Chief Executive, Pasifika Medical Association Group; Chief Executive Officer, Pasifika Futures

  • Sifa Taumoepeau

    Director, Thompson Lewis; Trustee, Anglican Trust for Women and Children

  • Kath Watson MInstD

    Director, Deka 2019 Limited; Trustee, Share My Super

13 Thank you

Thank you to our amazing partners

Pacific Government Partners

  • Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services
  • Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services
  • Papua New Guinea National Department of Health
  • Samoa Ministry of Health
  • Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services
  • Tongan Ministry of Health
  • Vanuatu Ministry of Health

Development partners

  • Australian Aid
  • Digicel Foundation PNG
  • Divine Word University
  • Fiji National University
  • The Fred Hollows Foundation Australia
  • Latter-day Saint Charities
  • Lions Club International Foundation
  • Mercy Hospital Dunedin Ltd
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade – NZ Aid Programme
  • University of Papua New Guinea
  • The Pacific Development and Conservation Trust
  • Volunteer Service Abroad

Corporate partners

  • Specsavers

Organisations that support our work

  • Adtollo Consulting
  • The Asia Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Suva
  • Bossley Architects
  • Confide
  • DLA Piper New Zealand
  • Eyewear Design
  • Foundation L’Occitane
  • Imperium Technologies
  • John Hannan, Barrister
  • Kiwibank
  • Madang Motors
  • Madang Star International Hotel
  • Mark Crawford Ltd
  • Mediscope International Ltd
  • OptiMed NZ
  • Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
  • SmoothPay
  • TCS International Construction Development
  • The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust
  • The University of Auckland
  • Tier 4
  • Unleashed Software

Thanks also to Gravitate, our digital design and technology partner

Gravitate has been working with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ over the last three years, helping us to communicate the incredible work our eye care specialists are achieving throughout the Pacific.
Get the full financials

Get the full financials

We also offer the full audited 2020 financial statements in PDF format for those that are interested.
Download the report
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The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is a registered charitable organisation under the Charities Act 2005.

Charities Commission registration number is CC23722.

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