Meet Mitch Shaw - Westfield Local Heroes 2021

Revolutionising fundraising

UpstreamNZ & CDN Trust
Entrepreneurial. Driven. Generous

Mitch Shaw has developed a revolutionary social enterprise that generates funding for children and youth charities. His ingenious solution is called UpstreamNZ.

UpstreamNZ is a socially-minded online business directory; suppliers donate a generous sales commission when a purchase is made through our website.

Each sale generates sustainable funding for our charities who are supporting our mission of strengthening the wellbeing of children and young people.

The charities have provided 5100 hours of youth services thanks to this additional funding.

Mitch was a youth worker for 13 years and understands that charities face a constant battle to raise funds.
Hope for the Children fund, which Mitch established under the CDN Trust umbrella, benefits from UpstreamNZ. The charity provides subsidies to young people to access private counselling.

Mitch’s greatest reward is knowing he is enabling the same support to young people that helped him turn his life around when he was a teenager struggling with mental health issues.

Mitch is honoured to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “Sadly, some young people don’t have support and are choosing a harmful path. All young people deserve to have a positive stakeholder in their lives. This social enterprise has to work, and it will work – that’s what drives me to get up early and finish late,” he says.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. UpstreamNZ & CDN Trust will use its funds to employ a person to support charity partners.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here