Funding support for ‘A Pest Free Peninsula by 2050’
1 Sep 2016
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. The group are in the final two years of their possum control programme, to date the programme has been carried out across four Sectors, Sector 1 (Cape Saunders), Sector 2 (Taiaroa Head), Sector 3 (Clarks/Sheppards Hill), and Sector 4 (Peninsula South). With an estimated total of 10,000 possums removed from the Otago Peninsula to date.
Spokesperson for the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Trust, Rhys Millar explains that the Otago Community Trust funding now allows the Trust to commence work in what is referred to as Sector 5 – the Urban Buffer. “This next area, the urban buffer is markedly different from our previous Sectors. It will involve a higher level of community engagement, the delivery of education programmes within the community and ongoing resident support. Without the funding we couldn’t begin this next stage, so we are pretty pleased to receive the support”.
The Otago Community Trust continued its support of the Project Litefoot Trust and its LiteClub programme. Now in its third year, the Project Litefoot Trust received a $43,878 donation to continue the implementation of the LiteClub programme to 36 more Otago community sport clubs.
Chief Executive Barbara Bridger said the LiteClub programme is an entirely free service that “essentially helps clubs to operate more efficiently, saving them money while reducing their environmental footprints by means of electricity, water and waste efficiencies. The great thing is that these savings are reinvested back into Otago sport”.
The Academy South Island Education Trust received a $15,000 donation to assist with the 2016 Connecting Coaches Conference. The conference hosted by the Otago Academy of Sport in association with Sport NZ will be held at the University of Otago and the Otago Polytechnic’s Sargood Centre in November.
A variety of other events across Otago received funding from the Trust, including but not limited to the Otago Fish & Game Council via a $5,000 donation for its ‘Take a Kid Fishing’ days. The Alexandra Musical Society with a $6,500 donation for its ‘Pirates of Penzance’ production and Visual Impairment Charitable Trust Aotearoa NZ to support with the cost of celebrating World Sight Day on the 13th of October in Dunedin.
The Otago Community Trust gave a total of $189,895 to 25 community organisations in August.
-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Otago Community Trust - Chief Executive, Barbara Bridger, 03 479 0994
Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Trust – Trustee, Rhys Millar, 027 387 7866
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Otago Community Trust Donations, August 2016 |
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Alexandra |
Central Otago Compassionate Friends |
$1,500 |
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Central Otago District Arts Trust |
$5,500 |
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Alexandra Musical Society |
$6,500 |
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Central Otago District Council |
$8,000 |
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Balclutha |
Catlins Senior Citizens Club Inc |
$500 |
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Cromwell |
Cromwell Riding Club |
$2,000 |
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Dunedin |
Pregnancy Counselling Services Inc |
$1,000 |
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Otago Fish & Game Council |
$2,000 |
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Otago Golf Club Inc |
$4,000 |
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Wakari Cub & Scout Group - Scout Assn of NZ |
$4,642 |
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Arai Te Uru Kokiri Centre Charitable Trust |
$5,000 |
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Visual Impairment Charitable Trust Aotearoa NZ |
$5,000 |
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Acts of Kindness Charitable Trust |
$6,000 |
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Concord School |
$6,000 |
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Academy South Island Education Trust |
$15,000 |
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Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Trust |
$30,000 |
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Milton |
St Mary's School Milton |
$13,000 |
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Mosgiel |
Wingatui Community Hall Society |
$1,000 |
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East Taieri School |
$2,000 |
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Mosgiel Central Kindergarten |
$2,000 |
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Otago |
SADD Aotearoa |
$2,500 |
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Tangata Whenua, Community and Voluntary Sector Research Centre |
$7,000 |
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Other |
Project Litefoot Trust |
$43,878 |
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Waik/Palm |
Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust |
$14,375 |
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Wanaka |
Luggate Albion Cricket Club |
$1,500 |