Representatives from Mana Tahuna, Michael Rewi and Sydney Wallace, Central Lakes Trust chief executive Susan Finlay, LUMA chair Duncan Forsyth with The Kiwi Kit Community Trust’s Kelsey Powell, Dani Mercado, and Franco Nobell.
New Whakatipu based groups Mana Tahuna and The Kiwi Kit Community Trust (TKKCT) are grateful recipients of grants secured after Central Lakes Trust (CLT) board met to consider 27 grant applications at a recent grants meeting.
Both new to the Trust, the formation of these groups has been accentuated by COVID and illustrates the times we live in says CLT chief executive Susan Finlay.
The Kiwi Kit Community Trust (TKKCT) have been operating for just over a year to better support and connect migrants in our community. “The migrant community have suffered more than most due to COVID in our district. The sector was not recognised for government support in the COVID response, and many lost jobs and had a real lack of security with working and holiday visas,” Ms Finlay says.
The group are on a mission to support and empower migrants, unite the whole community, and celebrate diversity in the Queenstown Lakes district through events and ongoing programmes that fill the gaps identified across the community, Finlay says.
The group brainstormed with migrants to determine the key issues to be addressed and intend to deliver against those.
Kelsey Powell of TKKCT says, "The grant will enable us to bridge the gap between migrants and the wider community. We aim to be a safe space for migrants to share their voices as well as a culturally-appropriate conduit for organisations, business, and government agencies seeking access to the migrant community."
Finlay says, “Their work has taken on increased importance in light of COVID, and the same could be said for Mana Tahuna, as well as several other groups the Trust have provided grants to over multiple years.”
Mana Tahuna was created as there was a need to provide support for local Māori and help unite the Māori community in Queenstown and the neighbouring areas, especially in youth service, health and social services, and employment.
Post COVID the group were providing 170 food packs a week, this has now reduced to 60 plus.
Chief executive officer Michael Rewi is delighted with the grant. “The grant will give us some security moving forward while allowing us to further expand our outreach into Tāhuna and specifically surrounding areas to try and help whānau and rangatahi into employment and retraining services affected by COVID as well as into our other services.
Other grants include LUMA who receive a three year multigrant, a first for the trust in supporting an event.
Ms Finlay says, “Support over multiple years provides security to organisations in a time when that security can be lacking. They have put together a plan to reduce reliance on our funding, and increase their sustainability, which is ultimately what we want organisations to achieve, a multiyear grant to assist them in this plan makes good sense.”
LUMA receive $70K for 2022, $50K for 2023, and $30K for 2024.
LUMA chair, Duncan Forsyth says LUMA has always acknowledged that all financial help from grant funders is designed to achieve financial sustainability and not be an ongoing source of revenue or the event’s lifeline.
“We have been actively planning our own sustainability since LUMA’s inception and since CLT first came on board as a funder. Last year was the first year we charged an entrance fee, which was very successful. Security of a three-year grant with reduced funding per year, enables us to live up to our plan, and we are very grateful to the Trust for their support over the years.”
The November grants round saw close to $1.07 million granted to charitable organisations.