Funding success across the board

Eight organisations are celebrating after being granted funding by the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board on 21 June.

More than $22,000 was granted to Kaikohe and District Sportsville to replace fencing at Lindvart Park on Mangakahia Road, Recreation Road, and Penney Crescent.

A section of new fencing was installed during the building of the new sports facility on Recreation Road but the rest of the fencing around the park has missing posts and sagging wire. Replacing the fencing would also help prevent dirt bikes and other vehicles accessing Lindvart Park and damaging the grass.

Two organisations secured funding to help mark this year’s Puanga Matariki celebrations.

The Hokianga Community Education Trust was granted $2450 for a Puanga Matariki cultural celebration in Rāwene on Saturday (29 June) at the town’s No 1 Café.

The Puanga Matariki – Tamariki Arts and Music event includes a series of workshops, including making Puanga masks, stone carvings, paper mâché whetu (stars) and learning about stage lighting and image projection. There will also be local artists and musicians.

Also celebrating Puanga Matariki is Te Kupenga Raurora Trust in Panguru. It was granted $6500 for its event, which is running until Friday (28 June). Celebrations include cultural events such as storytelling, performances, celebrations of local achievements, and workshops.

The Graeme Dingle Foundation Far North was granted $3000 by the community board for its Nga Ara Whetu programme at Northland College in Kaikohe.

Around 100 rangatahi at the school will benefit from the youth development programme, which aims to develop a sense of responsibility and connectivity with the school and the wider community. The programme offers mentoring and leadership training and allows teenagers to take part in community projects and career workshops.

The board granted martial arts group Kaikohe Yun Jung Do $2775 to cover the costs of venue hire at the Memorial Hall in Kaikohe. The group is for anyone aged six and above and aims to help members’ self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as the discipline’s physical benefits.

Rāwene Community Library Trust was granted $1181 for its Whānau Film Evening in August. The trust will screen two short films for tamariki, followed by a family film for rangatahi and adults. Any profits from the event, which takes place at Rāwene Town Hall on 31 August, will be used to develop library resources for tamariki aged six to 11.

An event that continues to grow in the Far North, the Northland Edible Garden Trail, was granted $3703 by the community board for its 2025 event.

It takes place from 8-16 February and features inspirational edible gardens around the Far North that will be open to the public. The 2024 event had more than 3000 garden visits and eight workshop events.

The He Kete Kai Food Security Programme in the Hokianga was granted $26,566 from the community board’s placemaking fund. The programme incorporates four organisations addressing food insecurity as part of a long-term project to support struggling families. It applied for funding under the umbrella of the Hokianga Community Educational Trust.

Caption: A whānau movie night is planned for Rāwene in August.