Otago Community Trust have funded over $2.7 million in support of a wide range of community projects in their June funding round. Initiatives supporting vulnerable communities were a driver in several of the grants approved for funding.

On the back of recent news that a $690,000 Impact Fund grant was approved to support the North Dunedin Kāhui Ako (Community of Learning) to address gaps in services to vulnerable North Dunedin youth, Otago Community Trust is also pleased to announce the EECA Warmer Kiwi Homes (WKH) programme received a $600,000 grant to support the programme across Otago.

Eddie Thompson, Warmer Kiwi Homes Programme Manager said EECA is pleased to be working directly with Otago Community Trust to make more Otago homes warmer, drier, and healthier, while improving their energy efficiency.

“The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme has been hugely successful to date. Last year across New Zealand it exceeded its target of 25,000 installs for the year to the end of June, with more than 38,000 insulation and efficient heater installs.”

The success of the programme is in part thanks to community organisations like Otago Community Trust providing top ups in their regions, this makes the cost of insulation for those eligible even lower or at no-cost at all. To see if you or your home is eligible for funding apply at www.warmerkiwihomes.govt.nz or freephone 0800 749 782, said Thompson.

Otago Community Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger said low-income families, young children and older Kiwis are especially vulnerable to the impacts of living in cold, damp homes, it is for this reason why it is important to Otago Community Trust to continue to invest heavily in Warmer Kiwi Homes.

“Since inception Otago Community Trust has provided over $4.2m towards the scheme, seeing in Otago over 5,300 properties insulated and nearly 400 homes heated and become warmer and drier as a result.”

Investing a further $600,000 into the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme ensures more low-income homeowners will benefit from insulation and heating retrofits, said Bridger.

The June grant round also saw Otago Community Trust approve its regular annual funding to Otago regional sporting bodies, whereby a total of $1,066,500 was approved across 29 regional sporting bodies. Among the biggest beneficiaries were Sport Otago ($175,750), Netball South ($110,000) and Football South ($67,000).

Otago Community Trust chair Diccon Sim said the regional sports funding is pivotal to the sustainability of many of our regional sporting bodies. These regional sporting bodies are the umbrella groups that support hundreds of community clubs and local sporting groups across Otago with development programmes.

“Like so many other sectors, sport has been disrupted significantly from the COVID-19 pandemic, but we know that participation in sports and for many people, recreation activities is a key coping strategy during times of high stress.”

The Trust’s regional sports funding supports our regional sporting bodies continue to deliver programmes in their communities and rebuild a sense of routine and wellbeing to the ongoing disruption of COVID-19, said Sim.

Other grants approved at the June board meeting included a $125,000 grant to Ice Sports Dunedin Inc to assist with the cost of the purchase and installation of two new compressors. A $30,000 grant was approved to Otematata Golf Club to assist with assist with the cost of replacing the course's irrigation system and NZ Curling Assn Inc had a $6,540 grant approved to assist the NZ Curling Association in conjunction with the Australian Curling Association host an international curling training camp in Naseby in August 2022

In total Otago Community Trust gave $2,795,581 to 56 community organisations in June 2022.

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