Our Story

On 26th February 2015, 130 guests joined the Urban Partners and Cressida Capital teams to celebrate the launch of their new brand. During the presentation, Haydn Staples, Managing Director Urban Partners, delighted the audience with a surprise announcement that a $1 million fund was being established to support Dilworth School, an institution that Urban Partners has an affinity with – one that has moved with the times yet continues to take a long-term, pragmatic approach to achieving outstanding results. This fund would be used to help selected students as they transition from secondary school, into the world of tertiary education and then into employment.

In 2018 the Haydn Staples & Auckland Philharmonia Piano Scholarship Programme became a part of SEF. This innovative programme is one of the most comprehensive training programmes for emerging pianists in the country. It is run in partnership with the School of Music at the University of Auckland. It provides talented young musicians with a diverse portfolio of skills to complement their advance solo studies, equipping them with invaluable experiences and training opportunities that will facilitate vastly improved options for career paths in many diverse areas of music.

The SEF Trust Board bring a wide range of experience to the programme both from Corporate and Not-for-profit backgrounds. The Board give their time without remuneration to support the Students through the oversight of the programme which is delivered by the General Manager.

To enhance the SEF programme, we have contracted a Coaching Psychologist to offer training, support and peer supervision to our Mentors and Clinical Psychologists to offer assistance to our Students through the SEF Mentee Assistance Programme.