Community projects receive $160,000+ in funding

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is proud to announce the successful recipients of its 2025 Community Matching Fund.

This year, grants ranging from $1000 to $12,416 are helping local organisations deliver projects across the rohe (District) - from youth skills programmes and community sports upgrades, to coastal restoration and predator-free environmental initiatives.

The matching fund initiative was established to support projects led by not-for-profit community groups working for the benefit of their communities.

Grants are ‘matched’ on a ‘50/50’ basis – Council’s half is a cash grant, while the community contribution can be made up of any combination of volunteer labour, donated professional services, funds raised through other means and/or donations.

A total of $161,269 was granted to 40 organisations, including $100,462 for 31 social, recreational and cultural initiatives, and $60,807 for nine environmental initiatives.

The ‘General Fund’ supported a wide variety of projects across youth development, sports, community facilities, outdoor education, health and wellbeing, and local gardens – from new football posts at Katikati Football Club to a sensory garden at Te Ranga School in Te Puke.

The ‘Environmental Fund’ focused on biodiversity, predator control, sustainable land management, native planning and community education. Among those to receive funding was the Paraiti Catchment Care Group, which is expanding its predator control network with self-resetting traps. The project boosts trapping capacity in remote areas, protecting native wildlife, including the threatened kōkako, and supports the KEEP initiative to restore and connect habitats between the Ōtanewainuku and Kaharoa forests.

“It’s inspiring to see so many groups across the District taking action to make their communities stronger, safer, and more inclusive. These projects show the power of collaboration between Council and community to deliver real, tangible benefits for our people and our environment,” says Deputy Mayor and fund selection panel member John Scrimgeour.

“The Community Matching Fund continues to be an impactful way of supporting local groups and helping them turn their ideas into meaningful benefits for our communities.

“Many community groups are motivated to make a difference but struggle to raise funds, so working together like this makes all the difference.”

The full list of recipients and information on each of the projects can be viewed here.