Wellington City Council’s Kāwai Whakatipu – Grants Subcommittee has approved funding for five applicants in its first round of the new Climate and Sustainability Fund today.

As part of Te Atakura – First to Zero, this fund supports communities and businesses in Wellington to undertake climate action initiatives that reduce and/or support the reduction of carbon emissions.

Grants were approved for a total of $174,250 from the $250,000 per annum fund, and Kāwai Whakatipu – Grants Subcommittee Chair Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons says the latest grants recognise the value in investing in projects that will benefit future generations.

“These groups and organisations fit the criteria as they are projects that support climate action and reducing carbon emissions.

“By funding them, we as a Council demonstrate our commitment to Te Atakura – First to Zero, the goal of becoming a net zero carbon capital by 2050.”

The successful applicants are:

• Sustainability Trust - $95,000 to transform their existing eco-centre into a climate action centre. This will provide Wellington with a central hub for climate action, where Wellingtonians can go for locally specific climate information, get support for individual and collective change, measure their impacts, and connect into Wellington climate initiatives and movements.
• Wellington Chamber of Commerce - $50,000 to support 40 small-to-medium Wellington businesses to go through a “Sustainability Bootcamp” that results in tangible and tailored climate action plans for each business.
• Eco-church NZ - $20,000 to support grassroots efforts by churches in Wellington to understand their carbon footprint and develop climate action plans.
• PlantMe Growathon - $5,000 to run a gamified online platform that tracks the carbon benefits of backyard food production in Wellington.
• Lodabike - $4,250 to undertake research on barriers to ebike ownership. The intention is to connect this mahi to Council’s existing behaviour change work programme and Paneke Pōneke, the bike network.

Chief Executive at The Sustainability Trust Georgie Ferrari says this grant from Wellington City Council supports an opportunity to create a unique space for the community.

“As a social enterprise we will also be approaching other like-minded businesses and organisations for support and philanthropic donations, and possibly a crowd funding campaign, as we think this is a project Wellingtonians will want to get behind.

“People are worried about climate change and the environment and want to know what practicable steps they can take. This space will provide information and advice to address these concerns and ideally they will leave optimistic that it’s not too late to curb the change, but also how to adapt to any change in the future.

“This will be the first space of its kind in New Zealand, so we’re excited and ready to get it up and running as soon as possible,” adds Georgie.

This was the first of two funding rounds for the 2021/2022 financial year. The second round is currently open and closes on 31 March.

The Kāwai Whakatipu – Grants Subcommittee also agreed to the allocation of Living Wage for Events Funding for the following:

• Activities and Research in Environments for Creativity Trust - $8,008
• Creatif Kate - $7,166
• KidzStuff Theatre for Children Incorporated - $13,196
• Pirate and Queen Limited - $6,000
• Red Scare Theatre Trust - $13,445
• The Humorous Arts Charitable Trust Board - $5,460

The Living Wage for Events Fund was established as part of the Long-term Plan to support non-Council events to deliver events that provide the living wage for their staff and contractors.

For more information about funding and grant recipients please visit: wellington.govt.nz/funding.

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