MEDIA RELEASE

Full review for multi-million dollar fund
For immediate release: Monday 5 March 2007

Environment Bay of Plenty’s environmental fund will be reviewed this year to make sure it’s working well.

Now in its seventh year, the fund is one of the largest initiatives of its kind in New Zealand.

Since 2000, the regional council has allocated more than $5 million to projects by community groups, organisations and individuals. Last year, it funded half a million dollars worth of projects during the annual round.

Operations committee chairman Bill Cleghorn says the fund is one of the many ways the council is working with the regional community for a better environment. “We need to make sure it is working as effectively as it can. We carry out smaller reviews every year but this time we want to look at the fund even more closely.”

The review will analyse the fund’s processes and systems, check whether it is meeting its environmental and community-focused objectives, and recommend improvements.

However, the operations committee has already approved a process change that will simplify the process of reporting for some project recipients. It applies to projects receiving less than $5000 in funding.

Environment Bay of Plenty’s community engagement coordinator Jo Smith says reporting on these projects will be less complex in future. “We want to make it easier while ensuring groups are still accountable for their spending.”

This year, the fund opens for application in late June and closes in early August. Successful recipients will be announced in October, earlier than usual because of the local body elections.

ENDS

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