Hon Jo Goodhew

Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector

1 December 2016

COGS celebrates 30 years of community funding

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew has today launched the 2015/16 Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) Profile in Wellington, marking 30 years of the scheme.

The COGS Profile highlights some of the achievements by organisations across the country that received grants from the $12.5 million in funding available in 2015/16.

“Over the past thirty years, the government and the community have worked together to build stronger sustainable communities, and make a real difference to the lives of individuals, groups and communities,” Mrs Goodhew says.

“In that time, nearly 100,000 COGS grants totalling over $300 million have been distributed to community organisations throughout New Zealand, and COGS has become firmly established on the New Zealand landscape. COGS has consistently provided core funding for community organisations that are delivering positive outcomes for their communities.

“There are multiple positive stories and impacts arising just from COGS funding for 2015/16. Including a $5000 COGS grant supporting Hamilton-based organisation Kaivolution to make use of good quality food that could be eaten but not sold to be redistributed to people in need. Since Kaivolution launched in 2014 over 152,000kgs of food has been redistributed.

“The hugely diverse contributions of the organisations supported by COGS grants includes helping vulnerable children learn teamwork and strengthen their cultural and spiritual connections, protecting threatened native New Zealand species and preparing for natural disasters.

“COGS continues to be a wonderful example of the benefits of local decision making meeting local needs, and I welcome this year’s COGS Profile,” says Mrs Goodhew.

The COGS Profile can be downloaded from www.communitymatters.govt.nz.

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