Giving back

A generous influence

I strongly believe in giving back. And I believe it is good karma to do so. Call it good grace, call it good karma, keeping the energy moving around is important.

My friend Margaret Doucas showed me the importance and the rewards of generosity of spirit. Even then as a student at law school, she put time and money into charity. She was a profound influence on me.

From my mid-twenties, I set up monthly donations to charities that support women, including Women’s Refuge, the New Horizons for Women Trust, and Amnesty International. I still have strong giving relationships with these organisations to this day.

Margaret and I went on to found the Eva Doucas Charitable Trust. We sold premium pre-loved clothing through Eva’s Attic shops, with all profits going to the charities whose volunteers worked in the shop including New Horizons for Women, Helping you Helping Animals (HUHA), Kaibosh, Skylight and Wellington Rape Crisis.  

In 2021 I funded the Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship within the University of Auckland Business School.

Also in 2021, alongside my sister Angela Gattung, we founded the Gattung Foundation which was launched officially in October 2022.  The Foundation’s main charitable purposes are to support the relief of poverty, the education and advancement of women, Māori and Pasifika to reduce inequality and the care, support and protection of animals. Angela is Executive Director and any approaches to the Foundation can be made here.