Trust Tairāwhiti focus funds open for Taiao and Rangatahi initiatives

The new funds are a response to priorities identified in the community through the Tairāwhiti Wellbeing Survey.

Trust Tairāwhiti has launched two new focus funds aimed at supporting “transformational” outcomes for rangatahi and taiao in Tairāwhiti.

The two funds, the Taiao Focus Fund and the Rangatahi Focus Fund, have been developed as a response to priorities identified in the community through the Tairāwhiti Wellbeing Survey.

The Taiao Focus fund aims to support projects with a focus on enhancing and developing the natural Tairāwhiti environment.

Particular focus is on areas such as native biodiversity, community-led katiakitanga, and coastal wellbeing.

The Rangatahi Focus Fund supports youth-led projects (for ages 15-24) and aims to create future opportunities for recipients. Projects can include a variety of elements, including entrepreneurship, creative or cultural programmes, and employment pathways.

Audine Grace-Kutia, Trust Tairāwhiti general manager of communities, said the funds are intended to “support meaningful projects that will really shift the dial and lead to sustainable positive impacts for our rangatahi and our taiao”.

Grace-Kutia said that the trust was looking for “high-impact kaupapa” and wanted applicants to “be bold and shoot for the moon”.

She said applicants should secure at least 30% of funding “to enable greater impact for their project”.

The two new funds add to the trust’s pre-existing active funds, the Community Fund, the Regional Events fund and the Feasibility fund.

Expressions of interest opened this week and will close on June 5. Funding recipients will be announced in September.