The Otago Festival of the Arts Trust was the largest beneficiary from the recent Otago Community Trust donation round, securing a $185,000 donation to the assist with the cost of the biennual Arts Festival Dunedin. Nicholas McBryde Director of the Otago Festival of the Arts Trust said Arts Festival Dunedin is grateful to the Otago Community Trust for their investment, and their belief in what the Festival is.
The Otago Community Trust was pleased to provide a $30,000 donation to the Naseby Summer Luge Trust in its March donation round. The summer luge track will be an exciting addition to Naseby which has blossomed into a popular year round holiday destination for families. Geoff Balme spokesperson from the Naseby Summer Luge Trust explains that the project has been simmering away for a number of years.
Otago schools within the Otago Community Trust funding area are set to benefit from a new Learning Impact Fund over the next three years. The Otago Community Trust has launched the new Learning Impact Fund which will be available to schools from 1 April 2017 to 31st March 2020. The Trust has identified education of Otago’s young people as a priority area for funding and the Learning Impact Fund supports schools to address the specific needs of their students.
In its first board meeting for 2017 the Otago Community Trust has approved over $588,000 in community donations to 50 community groups across Otago. The largest donation approved in February was $95,000 to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin to assist with the roofing restoration of Dunedin’s Dominican Priory. Otago Community Trust, chief executive Barbara Bridger said the Trust was pleased to provide support to the restoration of this category one Heritage New Zealand building.
Community groups across Otago have received a boost of more than $1.7 million thanks to Otago Community Trust. Moana House, a residential therapeutic community house that supports men with alcohol and drug problems, was the major beneficiary of the trust’s November funding round. The trust approved a $400,000 donation to help extend Moana House’s facilities.
Oamaru’s North Otago Recreational Turf Trust was the major beneficiary of the Otago Community Trust’s October funding round. The Otago Community Trust approved a $95,000 donation to the Trust which will assist with the cost of replacing the recreational hockey turf at Centennial Park. North Otago Recreational Turf Trust chairman Ray Simpson explains that the current water based turf was originally laid in 1999 and while it has been maintained to a high standard, it is now impractical and uneconomic to continue repairing it. “The expected life span of a turf is typically 10 years and we have had 17 years out of it” Mr Simpson said.
The Otago Community Trust is pleased to announce that it has committed over $700,000 towards insulating more low income homes across the Otago region for the year to 30th July 2017 through the EECA’s Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes Rental programme. Working with providers Smart Energy Solutions and Technobond, this funding will allow almost 1000 more low income homes to become warmer, healthier and more efficient.
A $55,000 donation from the Otago Community Trust will assist the Friendly Bay Railway Bridge Restoration Trust with the development of a new cycle learning park in Oamaru. The park, which will be located north of the historic rail bridge, will provide a safe environment where children can learn to ride and become better educated on traffic situations in a controlled environment.
A $30,000 donation from the Otago Community Trust will assist the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Trust with its continued possum eradication programme on the Otago Peninsula, supporting their vision - “A Pest Free Peninsula by 2050”. The Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group (OPBG) possum control programs started in March 2011 to help protect and enhance the Otago Peninsula’s biodiversity.
A $20,000 donation from the Otago Community Trust will assist the Milton Community Health Trust with a building renovation project to upgrade the support and advocacy hub in Milton – the Tokomairiro Community Hub. The Tokomairiro Community Hub housed in the old BNZ building on the main street of Milton, started with two agencies and has now increased to 14 part-time agencies.
The Otago Community Trust is pleased to announce it has distributed $935,500 to 35 Otago sport development programmes from its Regional Sports funding round in June. Otago Community Trust Chief Executive Barbara Bridger explains that the Trust has one round of funding for Regional Sports each year. “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” she said.
The Associate Minister of Finance Hon Paula Bennett has appointed Mr John Wilson as a new trustee to the Otago Community Trust, replacing Noeline Munro who retires after eight years of service to the Trust. Mr Wilson will start in his new role in July. Present trustees Kate Hazlett of Roxburgh and Lauren Semple of Dunedin have been reappointed to the Trust for a second four-year term. https://youtu.be/EmCf9lD-lsU