Further Funding Boost for Community Groups

8/6/2005

$110.120 million will be distributed to community, arts and sports groups in 2005-6, the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board has announced.

This is an increase of $5.620 million on last year’s funding by the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board to its Lottery distribution committees and the three statutory bodies (Creative New Zealand,
Sport and Recreation New Zealand, and New Zealand Film Commission) that it contributes to.

The Lottery Grants Board’s funding is generated wholly by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission. The Commission’s profits are transferred to the NZ Lottery Grants Board and flow on to directly benefit the community. These profits are distributed to groups that apply to the Lottery Grants Board, which allocates funding based on long-term community benefit.

Lottery Grants Board Presiding Member and Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins, says that the increase of funding in 2005-6 is a result of strengthened products and distribution channels and strong lottery sales that have seen a turnaround in the Commission’s profits since 2003-4.

“More resources to distribute mean we can continue to build our support for New Zealand communities,” Mr Hawkins says.

The Minister says the Lottery Grants Board agreed that this year’s funding increase should be used to further boost the capacity of Lottery distribution committees to strengthen New Zealand communities.

$54.6 million will be allocated to Lottery distribution committees for grants to community groups. This represents an increase of over $5.5 million (11.21%) on the funding provided in 2004-5.

A total of $22.24 million, an increase of $2.16 million, has been allocated to the specialist distribution committees (Environment and Heritage, Health Research, Marae Heritage and Facilities, Minister’s Discretionary Fund, and Outdoor Safety) enabling a movement back to earlier funding levels.

A total of $32,360,000 over $3.34 million more than last year, has been allocated to the 11 new regional community committees and the national community committee and its subcommittees. These committees will receive added resources to go to regions deserving of increases in funding because of population, isolation or deprivation.

Funding increases have also been possible for the Individuals with Disabilities Subcommittee and the Pacific Provider Development Fund.

Funding levels to the statutory bodies is being maintained. A total of $55,520,000 has been allocated to statutory bodies, a small increase on last year.