23 February 2006

Lottery Grants Enhance Northland Community Diversity

A Northland spiritual community, a thriving womens’ centre and a community organisation with a mission are all recipients of recent Lottery grants. Internal Affairs Minister Hon Rick Barker, who is on a visit to Whangarei this week, is responsible for the Lottery Grants Board.

“Diversity is the name of the game with Lottery funding,” said Rick Barker. “These community organisations demonstrate the wide range of facilities and institutions that benefit from Lottery Grants.”

The Jam Tse Dhargyey Ling Trust, whose name means “Centre from which Love and Compassion flourishes,” plays a unique role in the Whangarei community by enhancing the region’s ethnic diversity.

The trust is based in a centre which houses a small monastic community. It fosters multi-cultural exchange and understanding, and offers a range of programmes, including human values classes for children, Tibetan art and exercise classes, and open days for the public. The centre, which received a $500 Lottery grant last year, has over 2000 visitors every year.

Young women and women on low incomes particularly benefit from the resources offered by the Whangarei YWCA. These include recreational activities, workshops for single mothers, and an anti-violence campaign. The YWCA received almost $23,000 in Lottery funding last year.

The Kawakawa Community Trust was formed in 2001 in response to drastic downsizing in the town. Since then, it has established a range of successful business and community activities. Meeting members of the Trust, Rick Barker said, “The Trust has used its $16,000 to make a huge difference in promoting the economic, social and environmental development of Kawakawa.”

Rick Barker said that Northland people of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities benefit from Lottery Grants.

“The region faces many challenges, including geographical isolation and high levels of deprivation. Community trusts respond well to these challenges. By promoting empowerment and well-being, organisations like these effect positive change.”

ENDS

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