Funding grants the go-ahead for community projects

Nearly $31,000 has been allocated across a number of local community groups following the Waikato District Council’s Discretionary and Funding Committee’s recent meeting to decide on quarterly grants from its Event Fund and Rural Ward Fund. 

Grant applications are considered every three months by the committee, which looks at a range of qualifying criteria including how the event or project supports the Waikato District Council’s community outcomes and goals.

Waikato District Council General Manager Strategy and Support Tony Whittaker says, “The Council established these discretionary funds to support non-commercial projects that benefit the wider community and that can demonstrate broad community support.”

Four organisations applied for assistance from the Council’s Event Fund, while six applied for Rural Ward Fund dollars. All received some financial assistance from the funds.

Event Fund

The bi-annual Youth for Christ national conference, expected to attract up to 450 youth and families from around the country to the Christian Youth Camp in Ngaruawahia this year, will benefit from $5,500 from the Council’s Event Fund to underpin the cost of transporting participants during the conference.  The event, to be held in July, is hosted by Youth for Christ and organised jointly with Couples for Christ (NZ) Global Mission Inc.  It forms part of a ‘developing leadership’ programme that promotes the moral and spiritual growth of youth members aged between 13-21. Other Event Fund grants were:

• $4,863 went to the Puketaha Primary School to enable the school to hire a marquee for it's centenary celebrations.
• The Te Whare Whakau Trust will now be able to host a winter sports fun run and walk event on behalf of the community of Tuakau, using the $3,975.00 it’s been awarded from the fund.
• Council also allocated $1,973.00 to the Wakatoo Boxing Club to help it with the cost of hosting a boxing tournament.

Rural Ward Fund
Matangi Hillcrest Sports Club now has $4,462.00 in the pipeline from the Council’s Rural Ward Fund, which will allow it to upgrade the plumbing in its sports facilities. The club celebrated its centenary in 2013 and while its members have worked hard to spruce up the exterior of the building, improvements to its waterworks are still well overdue.  Club members also aim to hold a number of ‘working bees’ to assist professional plumbing staff with the upgrade. Other Rural Ward Fund grants were:

• Tamahere Playcentre received $1,922.84 towards the cost of Phase 2 of its project to extend the playcentre building.
• $3,200 went to the David Johnstone Pukemokemoke Bush Trust towards the cost of building a 360 metre long boardwalk.
• An allocation of $2,650 was given to the Anglican Parish of Bombay, Pokeno, towards the cost of a heritage project to restore the joint grave of early district pioneers and notable community benefactors Harriet Johnston and Francis William Pyne and for a public unveiling of the restored monument.
• A grant of $1,000 for Mai Uenuku kit e Whenua Marae will assist them with the cost of developing a Tamainupo Resource Booklet as well as the cost of a weekend ‘Wahanga’ which the marae is hosting. The booklet will be used as a learning tool at the Wahanga.
• A grant of $1,270.50 for Ruawaro Combined School will allow them to purchase a roller system needed to operate the school pool’s protective cover.

For more information please contact:

Crystal Beavis
Senior Communications Advisor
Waikato District Council
07 824 8633
communications@waidc.govt.nz