Social and emergency services were to the fore at Central Lakes Trust’s first meeting of the new financial year, with more than 30 of the grants associated with social service provision.

Whānau Āwhina Plunket was awarded a three-year grant of $75,000 per annum to continue the provision of community services in the area. 

The organisation offers clinics and services across Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes districts, including support groups, parenting education, play groups, injury prevention services, special family events and a number of volunteering opportunities. 

Whānau Āwhina Plunket Southern regional operations manager Maria Van Der Plas said the charity was truly grateful for the ongoing support it received from the Central Lakes Trust, especially in the current environment.

“The grant is a much-needed boost to Whānau Āwhina Plunket’s local community and injury prevention services,” she said. 

“The grant will go towards coffee groups, playgrounds and injury prevention education sessions and the like, which are so important to keep our families with pēpi and tamariki under five connected and supported in those crucial early years, setting them up for healthy futures.” 

A grant of $100,000 was also given to Hato Hone St John to help purchase a new ambulance in Alexandra to replace one of the ageing fleet. 

The contribution will allow St John to move forward with ensuring the ambulance is available for the community by August 2023.

Hato Hone St John fundraising manager south manager Debbie Zwies said the organisation was very grateful for the generosity and partnership of the Central Lakes Trust (CLT).

“With this funding, we can now purchase a much-needed Generation Four emergency ambulance to support our frontline teams in Alexandra in the Central Otago response area.

“Over an average 12-month period in Alexandra and the Central Otago Region, an individual transporting ambulance responds to over 1,500 incidents with around 32 percent triaged as life threatening or time critical.

“Without the support of CLT and other trusts, foundations, individuals, and corporate donors, we simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

CLT grants manager Mat Beg said the trust started granting on a multi-year basis several years ago “to make it less onerous for groups applying for funding and provide security of income”.

“For those we have a strong working relationship with and who operate in the social service sector, we can fund for successive years.”

More than $2.6M in grants was approved in this round, which was approximately 28 percent of the trust’s grants budget of $9.45M. Of that total, $1.57M was for multi-year grants.

The Central App will look in-depth at some of the grants and the services the organisations provide over the next two weeks.