Groups encouraged to make a start on infrastructure funding applications

For immediate release: Tuesday 4 December 2012

Businesses and organisations looking to apply to the Regional Infrastructure Fund should already have made a start on putting their applications together according to Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which is expecting to see a number of high quality applications submitted before February next year.

The Regional Council has set aside $38 million in its Ten Year Plan 2012-2022, available over nine years, for projects that promote sustainable regional economic growth, or promote environmental protection and enhancement that supports sustainable regional economic development.

Staff are expecting that demand for funding will far exceed what is available, according to General Manager Strategy, Fiona McTavish.

“For a project to be considered I can’t stress enough that applications will need to be high quality, and really demonstrate how they will maximise Regional Infrastructure Funding to add value to the regional economy,” she said.

“We want to see applications from projects that show they’re financially viable in the long-term, to ensure any investment made is going to benefit the region.”

The Regional Infrastructure Fund closes for applications on 7 February 2013. More information about the fund, including questions and answers from a briefing session held last month, are available on the Regional Council’s website www.boprc.govt.nz/rif.

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