Otago Community Trust has announced the allocation of $555,653 in grants for its July funding round, reinforcing its commitment to supporting strong, vibrant communities throughout the Otago region. The grants fund a range of projects, many of which are aimed at enhancing community well-being, preserving local heritage, and promoting environmental conservation.

The Alexandra Miners Village & Riverside Park Trust is set to transform downtown Alexandra with the development of the Alexandra Riverside Park. This ambitious project aims to rejuvenate the downtown CBD by creating a vibrant public space at the confluence of the Mata-au/Clutha and Manuherikia Rivers. With a boost of $100,000 from Otago Community Trust, the park will serve as a multi-purpose community hub, offering improved access and connectivity while also providing a family-friendly recreational area.

“A riverside public space and hub has been a long time in the planning, and support from funders such as OCT mean we can finally get cracking and create it” said Rory McLellan, Alexandra Riverside Park Trust chair.

Save the Otago Peninsula (STOP), a community-based environmental group, is continuing their ambitious native plant revegetation project on the Otago Peninsula. With an injection of $20,000 from Otago Community Trust, the project aims to enhance biodiversity, improve water quality, and mitigate climate change through landscape-scale conservation efforts. STOP plans to plant at least 1,000 more eco-sourced native trees in the Smiths Creek Catchment on the Hereweka/Harbour Cone Block, an area rich in native aquatic life. This initiative will not only protect and enhance the local ecosystem but also extend the popular Future Forest Walk Loop, providing additional recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.

Lala Frazer, Spokesperson for Save The Otago Peninsula said "Such wonderful news... this project, reforesting the Smiths Creek Catchment, has been endorsed by so many people who appreciate watching the trees grow as they enjoy walking the trails and seeing what STOP and its many community volunteers are achieving, and this funding ensures it continues without a break."

Ōwaka Going Forward is spearheading an ambitious project to construct a cycling and walking trail between Ōwaka and Pounawea. This initiative aims to create a safe, off-road path connecting these two isolated communities. The trail, which received $30,000 towards its construction from Otago Community Trust, will run from the Hinahina Bridge to the Pounawea DOC reserve. It will not only provide a much-needed recreational facility for locals and visitors, but also serve to reduce isolation and foster community engagement.

Other grants included the Waitaki Valley Community Society who received $3175 for their Kurow Wetland Restoration Plan, $8,000 to The Cromwell & Districts Community Trust for a partial recreation of the Chinese mining settlement that existed in Cromwell, and Southern Heritage Trust who received $4,000 for the Ōtepoti Heritage Festival 2024.

Otago Community Trust Grants, July 2024

Alexandra Central Otago District Arts Trust $5,000.00

Alexandra Miners Village & Riverside Park Trust $100,000.00

Alexandra Primary School Charitable Trust (COEC Ltd) $6,000.00

Cromwell Chamber Music at the World's Edge Foundation $5,000.00

Cromwell & Districts Community Trust $8,000.00

Dunedin Sathi Association $1,000.00

Otago Society for Music Education, operating as Music Education Otago $900.00

The Rothesay News Inc $5,000.00

Roslyn Wakari Association Football Club Inc $2,000.00

Strath Taieri Agriculture & Rural Tourism Trust $5,000.00

Alhambra/Union Rugby Football Club Inc $15,000.00

Caversham Harrier & Athletic Club Inc $16,000.00

Otago Rugby Football Union Inc $4,000.00

Strath Taieri Historical Society Inc $3,578.00

Citizens Advice Bureau - Dunedin $10,000.00

Southern Heritage Trust $4,000.00

Our Food Network Dunedin (OFN) Incorporated Society $6,000.00

Dunedin Dunedin Group Riding for the Disabled Assn Inc $20,000.00

Dunedin Jazz Foundation $17,000.00

Dunedin Marine Search & Rescue Inc $5,000.00

Otago Polytechnic - Pacific Island Scholarships $10,000.00

Save the Otago Peninsula (STOP) Society Inc $20,000.00

Fairfield School $20,000.00

Mornington Kindergarten $3,500.00

Big Steps Educare Inc $1,200.00

Mosgiel Elmgrove School $15,000.00

Ready & Steady Seniors, Mosgiel $1,000.00

Ōamaru Waitaki Community Recreation Centre Trust $80,000.00

Ardleigh Golf Club Inc $8,000.00

Maheno Bowling Club Inc $1,600.00

Awamoa Bowling Club Inc $3,000.00

Otago Te Waipounamu Riders Against Domestic Abuse Trust $5,000.00

Age Concern Otago Inc $5,000.00

Volunteer South/Kaituao o te Taitonga $2,900.00

Disability Information Service Inc T/A Livingwell Disability Resource Centre $5,000.00

Tangata Whenua Community and Voluntary Sector Research Centre Inc $8,000.00

Enabling Love New Zealand $3,500.00

Middlemarch Golf Club Inc $10,000.00

Waitaki Valley Community Society Inc $3,175.00

The CanInspire Charitable Trust $3,000.00

Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Inc $500.00

Other Ōwaka Going Forward $30,000.00

Wānaka Wanaka Arts Society $3,000.00

WAI Wānaka $15,000.00

Winter Games NZ Charitable Trust $10,000.00

Snow Sports NZ Inc $5,000.00

Wānaka Yacht Club Inc $3,500.00

Wānaka Backyard Trapping Inc $4,300.00

Wānaka Backyard Trapping Inc $7,000.00

Hāwea Playgroup Incorporated $5,000.00

One New Zealand $25,000.00

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