A SHORT HISTORY OF EARTHLINK
In 1994, with the closure of Porirua Hospital, it was recognised that there were few openings for people with ongoing mental health needs to gain the necessary confidence and skills to enter into paid employment in the Hutt Valley.
A committee was formed and funding was sought to develop a project providing employment to clients and staff in the area of horticulture.
In 1995 Earthlink became an Incorporated Society and began providing paid employment to clients and staff based in Lower Hutt. Earthlink was the first organisation to provide paid employment at the minimum adult wage to clients at that time.
2002 saw the launch of the Recycling to Retail project. With assistance from Hutt City Council, this project involved collecting items from the Silverstream landfill. After cleaning, refurbishment and electrical checks where necessary, those items are sold through our recycling division shop.
In 2010 Earthlink established the Hutt Valley Regional Curtain Bank. With help from Hutt City Council this continues to look after our community.
The Curtain Bank is staffed by community volunteers and stocked with donated curtains from local residents and businesses.
In 2012, Earthlink and a major provider of corporate uniforms, set up a pilot project to recycle or re-purpose end of life corporate apparel.
A total of 40,200 garments were recovered from a number of businesses. Some 23 tonnes that would ordinarily have been disposed of offshore, into landfill or by means of incineration – A significant and unacceptable carbon footprint.
This project became an operational business unit of Earthlink in 2014 and had recovered a total of 100 tonnes of corporate apparel by April 2017.
The business unit was closed in March, 2024, as lack of sales meant the division couldn't support itself.
Earthlink has adopted a triple bottom line policy – Performance is measured not just in financial terms but also in terms of social and environmental performance. Our core values are paramount in day to day decision making.
Earthlink has a governance board which has a deep understanding of our core values.
Earthlink is contracted to the Hutt Valley District Health Board and Ministry of Social Development to provide support to clients.
We remain mindful of the need to strive for financial viability, with the ultimate aim of no longer needing government funding to pursue our work.
Annual Financial Reports.
Earthlink’s annual reports can be downloaded from the New Zealand Companies Office website, in the Incorporated Society register.
In line with our constitution and the requirements of funders, our financial accounts are audited annually by an external auditor, prior to filing with the Companies Office.
These audited accounts are available from Charities Services and the Companies Office website.
