Board grant demand exceeds supply

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board received almost half a million dollars worth of requests for just $139,000 of available funding.

Local boards around the city accept applications for two types of grants throughout the financial year.

Quick response grants are small and the thresholds for them are set by local boards.

They are offered up to five times per year.

Local grants are for higher value grants and are available once or twice a year.

The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board received 52 local grant applications totalling $448,308 for its local grants, the highest in the North Shore area.

The Board had self-imposed a cap of $10,000 per grant and allocated $138,700 to 33 successful applicants.

All of the North Shore’s local boards, Upper Harbour, Kaipa¯ tiki, Hibiscus and Bays, and Devonport-Takapuna had gone through one local grants application round this financial year.

Hibiscus and Bays, and Devonport-Takapuna also had quick response grants.

In the Devonport-Takapuna area there were 31 applications totalling $341,787 with 24 successful applicants awarded $132,944 from the local board.

Upper Harbour received 22 applications totalling $184,401 and approved $49,252.

Kaipa¯ tiki received 21 applications totalling $121,759 and approved 13 for $39,947.

The Mairangi Bay Business Association received a grant of $4500 for advertising and stationery costs for a Buy Local campaign.

Coordinator Joanne Martin said the grants means the association can do things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.

The Buy Local campaign encouraged residents to do exactly that.

‘‘It’s a village-wide campaign to put Mairangi Bay on the map and keep customers coming back,’’ she said.

‘‘The budgets for business associations are small.

‘‘We’re so appreciative of the local board for their grant system and funding because without them these community events we put on, we couldn’t run them.’’

Grants are open to community organisations, individuals and groups and some companies.

For more see the grants, community support and housing tab at aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

ZIZI SPARKS/FAIRFAX NZ The 2017 Murrays Bay Birdman contest was made possible by a local grant, and the 2018 event has also been funded.