The youth of Central Lakes will be all the better for a series of grants the trust has dished out over the month of November.

“While many will benefit from November’s grants, the youth feature strongly in this month’s funding,” says Trust Chief Executive Susan Finlay.

“It has been a large granting month with two meetings and over $1.82m funded, of which 53% goes directly into the youth of our community,” she says, going on to explain, “strategically for Central Lakes Trust (CLT) youth are an important aspect in our granting. The demands on youth have changed with the high cost of living in our community changing the dynamics of family life, often with both parents working, families moving to the area whom speak little English, the demands from social media, and changing educational expectations, all puts different pressures on the youth of today.”

Five of the 20 youth focused grants go to a CLT initiative in secondary schools. The initiative being a programme which has been running since 2006 to help build resilience, address mental health concerns, and encourage engagement of youth in our communities and in school, as well as the recognition of cultural diversity in the youth space. These programmes will continue for a further three years with the support of the trust.

Other youth grants include an on-going grant to support the delivery of the Sticks 'n Stones (anti-bullying programme) for 8 to 18 year olds. A grant towards running the Wakatipu Mindplus programme for gifted children and Challenge Wanaka get support for their youth triathlon.

In addition early in November the board granted $77,550 to Ronald McDonald House South Island for bed nights for Central Lakes children and their families who require medical care outside of our region in Christchurch and Invercargill. In addition, this year Ronald McDonald House New Zealand receives funding to extend those bed nights to their North Island locations.

Mandy Kennedy, CEO of the South Island branch reiterates, “CLT funding means that we can take care of many, many families from the Central Lakes region when they have a child undergoing medical treatment. We are very grateful for the support we receive from CLT, because it really does make a difference,” she says.

The Sport Otago swim school programme will again be made possible by the support of the Trust and other partners. This programme sees primary school children throughout the Central Lakes Trust region receive 10 swimming lessons annually, the aim is to improve each child’s confidence and ability to survive in the water,” says Sports Central regional coordinator, Bill Godsall.

For the first time Camp Quality South will also receive funding towards running a summer camp for those children from our region living with cancer. Over the summer they will provide a fun filled week for these children and respite for their full time caregivers.

Boys Brigade receive funding towards running their programme for boys in the Dunstan basin and the roll-out of the programme to Cromwell, Wanaka and Hawea. The programme provides positive male role models and mentors for boys to learn practical life skills and values.

Other grants include the Central Otago Budgeting Services in consultation with other social service agencies, have proposed a new pilot project for the introduction of a Housing Co-ordinator in the Central Otago region. This will be supported with funding by CLT and would be available to all residents of the CODC catchment area who are struggling to obtain affordable secure tenure accommodation in a housing market stressed by rapid population growth and lack of suitable housing supply.

Wakatipu and Wanaka pre-schoolers will be delighted with assistance for new toys and a library relocation for Wakatipu out of the city centre to the more central location of Ladies Mile.

The final meeting for the calendar year and the last for our four trustees mandated to retire was held on 25 November 2019. Total grants approved stands at $107m since inception. The next board meeting will be held in early February 2020.

Total grants approved by the Board of Central Lakes Trust for the financial year is $8.8 million of the $9.1 million grants budget.

GRANTS APPROVED – NOVEMBER 2019

Project grants

Alexandra Volunteer Fire Brigade Replacement operational support vehicle $69,000

Camp Quality South Summer Camp 2020 $5,000

Cardrona Heritage Trust Cardrona Heritage Centre $114,000
Central Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association Central Otago A&P Show 2020 $11,000

Central Otago Budgeting Services Housing Coordinator Pilot Project $24,700
Central Otago District Arts Trust Teviot Valley Intercultural Public Art Project $10,000

Challenge Wanaka The Challenge Wanaka Festival of Triathlon $24,300
DRC Southland DRC Southland Mobile Service $11,000
Haehaeata Natural Heritage Charitable Trust Clyde Railhead Eco Nursery expansion $1,485
Lake County A&P Society Inc Lake Hayes Agricultural and Pastoral Society $15,000

Lake Hawea Volunteer Fire Brigade Van Replacement $34,194

LUMA LUMA 2020 $88,000
Parish of Wakatipu Wakatipu Parish Centre Refurbishment Project $36,500

Te Kura O Take Kārara Community Shared Outdoor Spaces $10,000

Teviot Valley Educare Playground upgrade $25,585

The Head of the Lakes Trails Trust Campbell Town to Glenorchy trail $20,000

Upper Clutha Historical Records Society IT Upgrade Project $2,340
Upper Clutha Lakes Trust Alpine Lakes Research and Education Centre $90,000
Wakatipu Toy Library Incorporated Toy Library Relocation $15,000
Wanaka Community Toy Library Purchasing new toys $1,804

Wanaka Primary School Pod 8 Playscape $30,250

Operational / Programme grants

Age Concern Otago Operating Grant 2020 $80,000
Central Otago REAP Operating Grant 2020 $88,000

Central Otago Friendship Network Operational Grants 2020 $25,000
Community Networks Wanaka Operational Grant 2020 $88,000

Cromwell Resource Centre Trust Operational Grants 2020 Multiyear (1 of 3) $39,000

Graeme Dingle Foundation Introduction to the Stars Programme Wakatipu High $25,000

Kahu Youth Operational Grant 2020 $207,780
New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education MindPlus Wakatipu Operational Grant 2020 $20,000
Otago Multiple Sclerosis Society Inc Operational Grant 2020 $7,500
Ronald MacDonald House Charities New Zealand Operational Grants 2020 $4,000
Ronald McDonald House South Island Operational Grant 2020 Multiyear (1 of 3) $77,550

Southern REAP Drive My Life Programme $35,000
Stick n’ Stones Central Otago Ambassor Programme $105,204

The Boys Brigade in New Zealand Incorporated Operational Grant 2020 $15,000

The Southern Regions Branch of the Muscular Operational Grant 2020 $5,962

Dystrophy Association of New Zealand

Wakatipu Youth Trust Operational Grant 2020 $135,226

Central Lakes Trust Initiatives

Central Otago Principals Association Referral Programme- Roxburgh Multiyear (1 of 3) $2,737
Central Otago Principals Association Referral Programme- Dunstan Multiyear (1 of 3) $16,614
Central Otago Principals Association Referral Programme- Wakatipu Multiyear (1 of 3) $28,319
Central Otago Principals Association Referral Programme- Mt Aspiring Multiyear (1 of 3) $31,811
Central Otago Principals Association Referral Programme- Cromwell Multiyear (1 of 3) $14,915
Sport Otago Swim School Multiyear (1 of 3) $136,510

TOTAL: $1,828,286

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