Editorial: Support crucial for local groups

Northland just couldn't operate without the aid of community grants.

Northland just couldn't operate without the aid of community grants from organisations such as Foundation North.

The trust used to be known as the ASB Trust.

It was slightly confusing given the Auckland Savings Bank does not exactly scream "Northland".

And yet Northland has been a huge benefactor of the monies earned from the more than $1 billion that Foundation North has invested.

This month, two of the largest grants to come Northand's way were announced.

The Northland Rugby Union will get $1,400,000 to go toward its new headquarters at Pohe Island in Whangarei, and the Kauri Coast Recreation Society has received $1,033,000 for its Sportsville project at Memorial Park.

The smaller grants are just as important - the Kamo Sports Charitable Trust received $20,000 toward a key step in a project involving the Kamo tennis and cricket clubs.

The Kamo trust is working to resurface the tennis court playing areas and build a new clubhouse for the two codes.

In the past, this newspaper has been critical of the lack of a Northland trust disseminating large sums into the community.

Northpower does a fine job of crediting consumer power bills through an annual dividend.

And trusts such as the Oxford Sports Trust provide sports groups with funds from poker machines.

But there is nothing on the scale of Foundation North's investment.

Without this investment, our communities would be poorer.

In fact, one shudders to think what we would do without this large scale Foundation North support.