Tougher grants regime suggested

Stricter grants eligibility criteria are needed, says the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, as it deals with reduced funds to allocate to the community.

This would bring more scrutiny around how often groups get grants and what they can apply for.

Board members advocated this course to Auckland Council grants advisers when asked for feedback to proposals on how to deal with budget cuts.

They also suggested condensing the number and type of grants rounds held each year, which would save on staff and board time.

Council staff recommended sticking with an $8000 cap on individual grants for the 2023-24 year, which is already down from the $10,000 which applied previously, and to limiting grants to any one group to two a year

Board member George Wood suggested dropping the cap to $5000, which member Peter Allen supported.

Allen predicted “a lot more applications from community groups” given how tight funds were everywhere.

Wood said it was still important that the board continued to fund a range of groups. This also gave those groups credibility when they applied to other funding sources.

Officers suggested building-maintenance grants could be an area to tighten up on, but board members said the likes of heat pumps and security cameras were a one-off cost that made groups more sustainable.

Member Terence Harpur said giving a community group $5000 for the upkeep of its facility could often be money well spent, with volunteers able to do painting, for instance, at a much reduced rate. This should be encouraged.

The Sunnynook community has offered to help with the creation of a pump track in a bid to get that hoped-for project under way. A similar approach at Woodall Park in Devonport was cited as an example of a facility delivered for much less of a burden on ratepayers than if council contracted out all the work.

Harpur also called for more consideration to be given to funding activities in well-placed locations, especially where this might encourage participants to spend money in town centres.

Van Tonder said the board needed to become a little more critical in considering how well applicants met the board’s priorities.

A previous grant for speech therapy for a small group of people was an example of the board not delivering as well as it could. It also needed to be stricter on groups that kept coming back for more funding.

The board suggested reducing the general grant amount that could be applied for, to a minimum of $500 from $1000, as a way to help lower expectations.

Board dished out $227k in last year

Latest figures show around threequarters of grant applications are approved by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, although not always for the full amount requested.

In 2020-21, 161 applications were made to the board for local grants, along with a much smaller number of multi-board and quick-response grants. That figure dropped to 120 applications in the 2021-22 year, mainly due to Covid interruptions and carryovers, especially in the arts and events sectors.

In 2021-22, $554,413 was requested and $227,831 allocated. The previous year, $1.046 million was sought and $235,177 granted.

The biggest beneficiaries last year were community groups ($92,072 granted of $210,631 sought in 53 applications), followed by sports and recreation ($47,002 from $149,298 sought from 27) and arts and culture ($45,029; $88,399; 22). Trailing behind was spending on events ($21,228; $66,085; 12), historic heritage ($12,000; $20,000; 2) and the environment ($10,500; $20,000; 4).

Arts and environment groups have had more regular access to other region-wide council funding, though this is now being reduced in wider council cuts.

Top 10 grants

The largest Devonport-Takapuna Local Board grants for 2021-22 went to:

Rotary Club of Devonport Charitable Trust, $9240, towards the Woodall Park pump track project.

North Shore Budget Service, $7200, to extend support into the community. The Lake House Trust, $6000, Arts Wood Sculpture Symposium. South Island Light Orchestra Ltd, $6000, for Takapuna Winter Lights. The Lake House Trust, $6000, east and west side restoration.

Victoria Theatre Trust , Devonport, $6000, foyer restoration.

Auckland King Tides Initiative, $5000, for beach monitoring.

Glass Ceiling Arts Collective, $5000, for inclusive youth theatre at the Rose Centre, Belmont.

Ngataringa Tennis Club , $5000, renovation of changing, toilet and showering facilities.

North Shore Budget Service, $5000, building financial resilience.