Ashburton District Council will give out almost $245,000 to volunteer and not-for-profit groups around the district in the 2023-24 financial year.

The funding was approved as part of the Annual Plan adopted recently. The figure does not include operating grants given to Ashburton Event Centre $324,800, Safer Mid Canterbury $212,022, Safe Communities $45,026 and Community House $15,000.

Democracy and Engagement Group Manager Toni Durham said Council had budgeted a total of $945,848 for community grants that would benefit many groups and people in the district.

“These grants help community libraries and pools, agencies like Neighbourhood Support and the Hakatere Multicultural Council, and they help all manner of projects and events get off the ground.

“We have some funding still available, like in the biodiversity category, and another round of applications will be called for later in the year.”

Amongst the community groups to benefit from a grant was the Ashburton Toy Library, which is in its 30th year of operation and provides affordable toy hire to 130 local families.

The toy library applied for money to help fund the wages of its two librarians and was granted $6000. This means the library’s volunteer committee can help keep the membership fees at an affordable and accessible level.

The Ashburton Trotting Owners Association was granted $1800 to help cover the cost of digitally preserving the hundreds of framed photographs that it owns and displays as part of its Mid Canterbury Harness Racing Museum.

Mid Canterbury Netball was granted $3000 to help advertise and promote a special event to mark 100 years of netball in the district. The organisation is holding a weekend of milestone celebrations, with former Silver Fern Anna Harrison making a guest appearance.

Council grants and funding is used to support operating expenses, community projects and events, biodiversity, community halls and other assets and school holiday programmes.

You can learn more about how to apply for a grant on Council’s website ashburtondc.govt.nz

The full list of recipients for 2023-24:

Community Library Grants

Methven Public Library     $5750

Mt Somers Library    $3500

Rakaia Public Library    $5750

Community Agencies

Ashburton District Neighbourhood Support   $10,000

Ashburton Toy Library    $6000

Ashburton Youth Café    $5000

Caninspire Trust    $2000

Ashburton Town Watch      $1000

Connecting Mid Canterbury Charitable Trust    $5000

Digital Waitaha Charitable Trust   $5000

Hakatere Multicultural Trust      $5000

HYPE Youth Health Centre     $5000

Mid Canterbury Emergency Relief Charitable Trust   $2500

Mid Canterbury Group Riding for the Disabled     $7200

Mid Canterbury Youth Charitable Trust – 24/7 Youthwork     $5000

NZ Council of Victim Support Groups   $5000

Rakaia Community Association    $6000

Tennis Mid Canterbury     $5000

Community Projects

Allenton Rugby Football Club    $1200

Ashburton Indian Multicultural Charitable Trust  $2000

Ashburton Photographic Society    $3200

Ashburton RSA      $2500

Ashburton Swim Team    $4500

Ashburton Trotting Owners Association    $1800

Recycle A Device    $3000

Kai for Kids Charitable Trust     $4800

Mid Canterbury Hockey    $1500

New Zealand Plunket    $800

Community Events

Ashburton Pony Club    $4282

Ashburton Santa Parade     $4000

Hakatere Maori Komiti     $4000

Methven Exhibition and Fete    $2500

Mid Canterbury Netball    $3000

Mid Canterbury Nepalese Association     $2218

Biodiversity

Awa Awa Rata Reserve Society     $2000

Cleardale Station      $6750

Forest and Bird Ashburton branch    $525

Galloway Wetlands     $3256

Hinds School     $1034

Methven Lions Club     $7500

Riverbridge Native Species Trust    $2500

Ross Hawthorne     $1543

Upper Rangitata Gorge Landcare Group      $5750

Community Infrastructure

Mayfield Memorial Hall     $10,000

Rakaia Pony Club    $10,000

Rakaia Reserve Board     $600

South Rakaia Bach Owners Association    $10,000

Staveley Hall Society    $10,000

Winchmore Community Hall Society     $2500

Willowby Hall Incorporated Society    $3400

School Holiday Programme

Birthright Canterbury    $550

Hakatere Maori Komiti    $1000

Mid Canterbury Hockey    $1855

Mid Canterbury rural Women    $475

St David’s Union Church    $1120

Schools

Ashburton College    $500

Mt Hutt College    $500

Community MTB Trail maintenance grant

Mountain Bike Ashburton    $5000

Sport New Zealand Rural Travel Fund

Ashburton College Cricket   $900

Ashburton College Basketball     $2300

Ashburton College First XV Rugby Boys     $1300

Ashburton College First XI Football Boys  $1300

Ashburton College Hockey Boys   $1300

Ashburton College Hockey Girls    $1300

Ashburton College Senior A Netball    $1300

Ashburton College U15 Rugby Boys  $1100

Ashburton College U15 Rugby Girls    $1300

Ashburton College U18 Rugby Girls   $1300

Methven Hockey   $1800

Methven U16 Rugby   $1000

Mid Canterbury Football  $1300

Mt Hutt College Combined First XV   $1000

Rakaia Netball $1800