Foundation North gives $3M in grants for Northland community groups

Supporters of the Te Hiku Sports Hub in Kaitaia celebrate the $1,100,000 grant the project received from Foundation North.

A grant of more than $1 million was the largest distributed in Northland by Foundation North last month.

Foundation North, the community trust for Auckland and Northland, distributed just over $3m in recent grants to not-for-profit organisations and community initiatives in Northland. This brings the total distributed for the year beginning April 1, 2019, to $6.8m.

Foundation North makes grants based on the outcomes and priorities it wants for the region, including addressing inequalities, strengthening social cohesion, better outcomes for children and youth, enabling community-led economic development and enhancing the natural environment.

The single largest grant this round was $1.1m to Te Hiku Sports Hub, a community-led initiative which sought funding to develop a multipurpose sports club and a new indoor pool complex at Moerua Park in Kaitaia.

The development will offer several benefits to the community, from increasing engagement in sport, through to enabling local iwi to deliver their community services. The group hopes to encourage engagement and social connectedness within the community through supported strengths-based programming.

"The Far North is a high need community with many people experiencing multiple disadvantages and lacking in quality recreational facilities," Mark Osborne, project manager of Te Hiku Sports Hub, said.

"Our intention is to improve the quality of life, health and social outcomes for the community through increased sport and leisure participation."

Other major grants included:

■ Northland TV Charitable Trust - a grant of $85,000 to support Channel North through its transition period.

■ Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust - a two-year grant of $331,000 to support educational marine projects.

■ Jigsaw North Family Services (CAPS Northland) - a two-year grant of $178,000 towards counselling and social work services.

Foundation North chairman John Slater said: "Foundation North recognises and values the importance of drawing on the strengths of our communities to enrich lives across our region of Tāmaki Makaurau and Tai Tokerau. We are proud to support our diverse not-for-profit sector, and organisations, large and small, that are making a positive difference to all our lives."

Since it was founded as the community trust for Auckland and Northland in 1988, the foundation has returned around $1 billion in grants.