Pinnacle to reinvest surpluses into primary care through new charitable foundation

Pinnacle Inc. has announced the establishment of the Pinnacle Foundation, a new charitable trust that will reinvest surplus income from its profit-for-purpose entities back into primary care across Te Manawa Taki. 

Announced at Pinnacle’s 2025 annual general meeting on Tuesday 25 November, the Foundation is designed to support practical initiatives that improve access, experience and outcomes in primary healthcare, with a strong focus on general practice and community-based services. 

The Foundation creates a transparent charitable structure that sits alongside Pinnacle’s role as a PHO and government contract holder, providing a clear separation between publicly funded services and charitable investment. 

Pinnacle Inc. independent chair Amit Prasad says it reflects a long-term strategy to strengthen primary care and support local practices. 

“Pinnacle has been working towards this for a number of years and is now in a position where profits from the Group’s profit-for-purpose entities can meaningfully be returned to the health system,” he says. “The Foundation is not a change in direction, but the next step in work we have long been doing with practices and communities across Te Manawa Taki.” 

The Foundation will focus on four priority areas where targeted support can make a measurable difference in primary care: supporting access to care where cost is a barrier, helping practices attract and retain staff, strengthening teams through education and capability development, and backing proven technology and innovation that improve efficiency, patient experience and outcomes. 

Mr Prasad says the first funding round is expected to distribute more than $1 million to initiatives across Te Manawa Taki. 

Pinnacle chief executive Justin Butcher says the Foundation is designed to support practices in areas that have often been difficult to resource within existing funding. 

“For years practices have been stretched by rising demand, workforce pressures and the shift of more care into community settings, while still needing to invest in new technology and new ways of working,” he says. “The Foundation will help address some of these pressures by funding initiatives that make a tangible difference for patients and for the teams delivering care, and allows our profit-for-purpose entities to return surpluses back into primary care in a way that is transparent and targeted.” 

The Pinnacle Foundation will go live on 1 July 2026, with funding rounds open to practices within the Pinnacle network across Te Manawa Taki.