Pilot programme for smaller clubs granted $75,000

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti pilot programme was the big winner of Trust Tairawhiti's July funding distributions.

The Sport Gisborne programme, called the Shared Services Pilot, aims to offer services to smaller clubs and organisations who have few if any paid staff to do the intensive background work, said Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti chief executive Stefan Pishief.

The idea is to join forces so providers can focus on offering their services to the community rather than be bogged down in the nitty-gritty of running and administrating an organisation, he said.

The pilot aims to have eight or nine groups fall under their umbrella, which is hoped will solve issues with economies of scale by coming together to share resources.

It will also include a website to act as a one-stop-shop for small clubs to find everything they need.

Pishief said that if the pilot proved successful, in an ideal world, it could be expanded and taken on by an independent trust or non-profit organisation.

“With Covid, it showed how vulnerable our sector is, and the similarity of challenges faced across the not-for-profit sector.”

“We're happy to be the umbrella organisation for now because we see the need.”

He said the programme would not just include sporting groups, so if the pilot proves successful they can bring in any community group that “contributes to the wellbeing of our community”.

The trust gave the programme $75,000 of the $163,000 it is forecast to cost to run for a year.

Trust Tairawhiti handed out a total of $196,660 in funding this round to a wide range of local institutions.

Te Ora Hou Tairawhiti Trust (TOH) was granted $38,660 towards the refurbishment of the youth centre building at the Alfred Cox Skatepark.

Trust Tairawhiti approved $20,000 in funding for the Gisborne Volunteer Centre to deliver and coordinate community development workshops.

Taki Rua Productions received $10,000 to make their 2021 season of Te Reo Maori stage plays available to all Tairawhiti schools.

Nati4Life Trust received $10,000 to support an East Coast concert focusing on suicide prevention, awareness and intervention.

And a total of $40,000 will go towards supporting four Tairawhiti primary schools to represent the region at the National Primary School Kapa Haka event in Nelson this November. Te Kura o Puhi Kaiti (Kaiti School) was the umbrella group for the funding request, representing Te Kura o Manutuke, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Horouta Wananga and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Nga Uri a Maui.