Kaipara District Council has allocated over $33,000 through the Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund and Creative Communities Scheme – Arts Funding, benefiting 17 successful local applicants.

The Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund helps subsidise travel for rural junior sports teams (5 to 18 year olds) participating in local competitions. The Fund helps to remove cost barriers to participation for those in rural communities and is administered by Kaipara District Council on behalf of Sport New Zealand.

Successful applicants include Dargaville High School who received $4,088.37 and Otamatea High School, awarded $2,254.77 which will support travel to sporting competitions such as hockey, football, basketball and rugby.

In addition, the first round of Creative Communities Scheme for 2025 has distributed just over $17,000 to support local arts activities.

The Creative Communities Scheme, administered by the Kaipara District Council on behalf of Creative New Zealand, focuses on projects that foster community participation in the arts, celebrate diverse cultural traditions, and enable youth under 18 to engage in artistic activities.

Successful applicants included Company of Giants who received $3,187.50 towards the Northland grown play ‘A Vaudeville of Flowers’. Te Ata Hou Roopu and Friends United secured $2,488 towards their Matariki Exhibition Wananga consisting of weaving, collaging, jewellery making, resin art and incorporation of Māori art themes and culture.

For a list of all successful applicants, check out kaipara.govt.nz/funding. Creative communities scheme funding is currently open until 31 July 2025 and Rural travel funding applications open 1 August to 31 August 2025.

For further information on any grants or awards, please email, Annika Tierney Lemisio, Community and Engagement Advisor at grants@kaipara.govt.nz.

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