Our story
The Spencer Maxwell Foundation Charitable Trust was established by Spencer in 2021 to support the mental health of all New Zealanders, with a special focus on the Rainbow Communities. Following Spencer’s passing in late 2025, his vision for the Foundation was fully put into action.
Our benefactor & motivation
Spencer is the delightful, generous, and kind benefactor of this Foundation. His aim was simple: to help others in ways that were not available to him during his own life challenges. Through this work, his legacy lives on as a vital safety net for those who need it most.
Our mission
We support people in Aotearoa New Zealand experiencing emotional, mental health, or addiction challenges. We do this by funding individuals directly and by boosting the services that help them. Our focus is on providing early, community-based care to those who otherwise lack access due to financial barriers or gaps in public funding.
Our values
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We approach every individual with the same generosity, warmth, and care that Spencer championed, ensuring people feel seen, heard, and valued.
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We believe in the power of local communities and work collaboratively to uplift existing services and fund direct, accessible healthcare.
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We focus on reducing financial barriers and bridging gaps in public funding to ensure support reaches those who need it most, when they need it most.
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We stand proudly alongside our Rainbow Communities and all New Zealanders.
Spencer Maxwell
Born in New Zealand in 1934, Spencer Maxwell lived through an era when homosexuality was a criminal offence. For most of his life, he kept his sexuality almost entirely to himself, confiding only in a few close friends later in life. This secrecy inevitably created a lifetime of hidden challenges.
To the outside world, Spencer lived a full and varied life. His professional path included retail and teaching, complemented by overseas travel, Air Force service, and community volunteering. Yet privately, he navigated deep personal challenges, including anxiety and a struggle with alcohol use.
Through hard work and determination, Spencer overcame these personal struggles. In later years he dedicated his time to generously helping others, specifically those navigating addiction and elderly individuals needing support.
His life’s journey and commitment to others inspired the creation of the Spencer Maxwell Foundation Charitable Trust, which he established alongside his best friend Anna before he passed away. Today, the Foundation provides vital support to those who might otherwise struggle to access help with mental health, addiction, sexuality, gender, and identity.
Over his lifetime, Spencer saw the world undergo significant legal and cultural shifts. His story underscores that finding peace is rarely a solo path; it requires community ties and professional insights - resources he was only able to access later in his journey. Above all, the Foundation preserves his legacy by carrying forward the life-altering, quiet advocacy he wished he had experienced sooner.
A letter from Spencer
Welcome to the Spencer Maxwell Foundation. As a potential beneficiary of the trust, you may wish to know more about my life and what inspired me to create this Foundation.
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The Foundation was established to provide financial support for those who might otherwise struggle to afford professional help for addiction, sexuality and gender identity struggles, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. To understand why these causes are so close to my heart, a look into my background will help.
I was born in Birkenhead in 1934 to Gwen, a professional musician, and Alfred Maxwell, a salesman for the Mobil Oil company. We moved from Auckland and then lived in West Karori until 1945. I vividly remember the biting cold of the uninsulated house in the Karori valley. During World War II, my father served in the RNZAF, meaning we only saw him on occasional weekend leave. It was a time of strict food and clothing rations, an absence of imported goods, and a heavy presence of American servicemen.
In 1945, Dad was discharged from the Air Force and rejoined Mobil in Auckland. We moved to a small flat in Greenlane, and I attended Cornwall Park School followed by Auckland Grammar. I was small for my age and became a target for severe bullying. In those days, teachers turned a blind eye to such behaviour, making my high school years very unhappy. If you are experiencing bullying today, please tell someone. It can be stopped.
During my teenage years, I also realised I was different. While my peers were interested in girls, I found myself drawn to men. This was a secret I had to keep entirely to myself. Same-sex relationships remained illegal in New Zealand until 1986 - when I was already in my fifties. Until homosexual law reform passed, a same-sex act could result in a prison sentence.
Consequently, I had to keep my true sexuality firmly locked away, which led to a lifetime of considerable stress and anxiety. It is my hope that this Foundation ensures that others don’t have to suffer through their struggles alone.
Our team
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Anna Birkenhead
CO-CHAIR
Originally from the UK but a long-time Kiwi, Te Tai Tokerau in the winterless north is now my home. I am a proud mother of fabulous adult children, and Spencer’s old ‘bestie’.
It is an immense privilege to be trusted to co-lead the Foundation alongside Colette, a long-time dear friend whom I met back in the day when we were young nurses. Together, we make a dynamic duo! Our mahi (work) for the Foundation is a true continuation of Spencer’s legacy of supporting others. It is also a deeply special privilege to have conceived and developed the original vision of this Foundation together with Spencer some years ago - some of it during our overseas travels together!
Professionally, my path has been rich and varied. I qualified as a registered nurse at the tender age of 20, launching a rewarding 30-year career in the mental health and addictions sector. Starting in crisis clinical work, I later ventured into leadership, project management, research, education, and LGBTI+ project work. In my later years in the sector, my focus shifted towards clinical work and projects which supported people’s tinana/physical well-being. Alongside my work with the Foundation, I continue to work two days a week as a practice nurse at a local GP clinic - a varied and rewarding role.
My passion for mental health is both professional and personal. Having navigated my own experiences with a mental health issue in the past, I know firsthand how difficult it can be - in particular, accessing help for the first time.
Off the clock, I am embracing the small-scale 'good life' on my whenua/land, nurturing my vege gardens, free-ranging chickens, tackling DIY projects, and satisfying my adventurous spirit - which recently included trekking 800 km along the Camino de Santiago.
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Colette Adrian
CO-CHAIR
Kia ora! Originally from Hawke’s Bay, I have spent most of my adult life in Auckland. Anna and I met during my very first job as a registered nurse, and we have been close friends ever since. It is an absolute privilege to now be involved in this Foundation.
Having spent many years on the frontline of acute mental health nursing, it is incredibly gratifying to work at the preventative end of the spectrum - supporting people early on and stepping in before challenges escalate. Our mental health system can often feel underfunded and bogged down by bureaucracy, so collaborating on the Foundation has been a breath of fresh air. Together, we have moved swiftly to get the Foundation up and running, and are able to make nimble decisions, all while honouring Spencer’s wishes. His extraordinary gift to others has truly been a gift to me.
Alongside my work with the Foundation, I am a Professional Teaching Fellow at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland’s Te Kura Tapuhi | School of Nursing. My core passions lie in social justice, innovative learning design, and working alongside enthusiastic teams to bring meaningful projects to life. I am also currently undertaking a critical theory Doctoral study to understand how higher education students are collectively resisting Artificial Intelligence.
When I'm not working or studying, you can usually find me taming my jungle garden, swimming, or listening to music.