Minutes of Workshop - Funding Committee

The agenda was dealt with in the following order.

That Chair noted the apologies for absence from Mayor Mauger, Deputy Mayor Cotter and Councillors Barber and McLellan and for partial absence from Councillors Fields and Gough.

Councillor Keown attended via audio-visual link.

Councillor Gough joined the workshop via audio-visual link at 9.45 am.

Councillors Moore and Scandrett were not present.

2. Metropolitan Strengthening Communities Fund 2024/25
	Josh Wharton, Team Leader Community Funding, summarised the applications received and staff decision process for the Metropolitan Strengthening Communities Fund 2024/25. Various Community Funding Team members were available to answer members’ questions.
The workshop adjourned at 10.14 am and reconvened at 10.30 am.
	Conflicts of Interest
	Members noted the following Conflicts of Interest: · Councillor Coker – Neighbourhood Support Christchurch Area Incorporated · Councillor Fields - Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum Trust · Councillor Henstock – Athletics Canterbury Incorporated · Councillor Johanson – Mayor’s Welfare Charitable Trust · Councillor Peters – Keep Christchurch Beautiful Incorporated · Councillor Templeton – Woolston Brass Incorporated.

2.1 Funding Review

1. Members noted that they had requested staff provide an overall review of funding via the Long Term Plan process and indicated they would like this to include options regarding:

a. “Ringfencing” parts of the Metropolitan Strengthening Communities Fund for certain sectors such as arts, sports etc.

b. Line items for organisations that consistently receive large amounts from the Metropolitan Strengthening Communities Fund.

c. Multi-year funding agreements and their relationship to Council terms.

The workshop adjourned at 10.39 am and reconvened at 11.02 am.

Councillor Fields did not rejoin the workshop.

Councillor Gough left the workshop at 11.02 am and did not return.

2.2 General questions

1. Members requested further information in relation to applicants’ community outreach where these were specified as a substantial outcome, particularly in relation to school outreach programmes.

2. Updated information on additional funding applied for and received by applicants, whether from other funding mechanisms within the Council or external to it.

3. An assessment of the impact on applicants where the staff recommendation was for a lesser amount than that applied for.

4. Members requested a general update on the foodbank ecosystem in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

2.3 Guidance from members

1. Dependent on information received in response to questions, members indicated they would like to consider

a. Increasing the staff recommendations for the following applicants:

· Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resource Centre

· Niu Economic & Enterprise Development Trust (NEED)

· Christchurch Envirohub Trust

· Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum Trust

· Kairos Trust

· Christchurch Operatic Inc T/A Showbiz Chch

· Christchurch Youth Council Incorporated

· Big Brothers Big Sisters of Christchurch

· The Kind Foundation

· Cultivate Christchurch Limited

· Christchurch Children’s Holiday Camps Trust

· Angitu Trust

· Ukrainian Association of NZ (Southern Regions)

· RAD Bikes Charitable Trust

· Stepping Stone Trust

· Social Equity and Wellbeing Network (SEWN) as host organisation for InCommon

· The Loft/Ki Te Tihi Charitable Trust

· Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust

· Birthright Canterbury Trust

· Vietnamese Society of Christchurch

· Catholic Diocese of Christchurch as host agency for Catholic Social Services.

b. Decreasing funding for:

· Christchurch Symphony Trust

· New Zealand Opera Limited.

2.4 Christchurch Symphony Trust

1. Members requested further information regarding the:

a. Relationship between the venue hire paid by the Christchurch Symphony Trust and the subsidy provided to Venues Ōtautahi.

b. Impact of funding being cut, particularly in relation to Sparks and outreach work.

c. Central Government funding received by the Symphony, how this compares to other orchestras in New Zealand and whether this is contingent on the Council contribution.

d. The nature of the Trust’s outreach work.

2.5 Andromeda Arts Trust

1. Members requested clarification on the impact to the applicant of gradually increasing the funding to the level currently recommended by staff, particularly in relation to any timing dependencies with the Court Theatre.

2.6 Canterbury Society of Arts Charitable Trust (CoCA)

1. Members requested clarification on the:

a. Extent to which the Council was already in effect funding the applicant via the museum space.

b. The likelihood that the applicant would ever be financially self-sufficient.

2.7 Te Whare Roimata Trust

1. Members requested further data on the location the artists supported to better understand the rationale for this being a metropolitan rather than community board issue.

2.8 Free Theatre Incorporated

1. Members requested further detail on:

a. The community outreach carried out by the Free Theatre Incorporated.

b. Other funding sources and amounts.

2.9 Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resource Centre

1. Members requested further information on:

a. The relationship between the applicant’s work and that undertaken by the Welcoming Communities Coordinator.

b. The number of refugees supported by the applicant per year.

2.10 Ōtautahi Māori Women's Welfare League

1. Members requested further information on Central Government funding sources.

2.11 Moana Vā

1. Members requested further information regarding:

a. What aspects of the application staff are recommending be funded.

b. The advertising space the Council has available on bollards and bus shelters, how this is allocated and whether it could meet the funding contributions sought for advertising.

c. Other funding sources and amounts, including RATA.

2.12 Niu Economic & Enterprise Development Trust (NEED) as host agency for SPACPAC

1. Members requested clarification on:

a. What staff are recommending be funded in terms of volunteer expenses, the Pacific Leadership Retreat, Canterbury Pacific Youth Awards and Canterbury Pacific Speech Competition.

b. Other funding supplied from within the Council.

2.13 DPA (Disabled Persons Assembly)

1. Members requested information on the success of the activities run.

2.14 Christchurch Envirohub Trust

1. Members requested staff confirm that the applicant was not receiving any other additional funds from other mechanisms within the Council.

2.15 Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum Trust

1. Members requested an update on other funding sources the Trust has applied to and/or had confirmed.

2.16 New Zealand Opera Limited

1. Members requested further detail in relation to:

a. Community outreach to schools.

b. The number of local people they use or employ.

c. The amount contributed by Auckland and Wellington.

2.17 Christchurch Youth Council Incorporated

1. Members requested advice on the relationship between the Council and the Christchurch Youth Council Incorporated and options for improvement.

2.18 NZ Gifts of Love and Strength

1. Members requested further information on the Trust personnel.

2.19 Lighthouse Youth of Ōtautahi

1. Members requested clarification on where Lighthouse Youth of Ōtautahi are based.

2.20 Momentum Charitable Trust

1. Members requested information on:

a. How long Momentum Charitable Trust has been operating.

b. Funding it receives from other Councils to support programmes in Christchurch prisons.

c. The success of the programmes offered.

2.21 The Women's Helping Hand Trust NZ

1. Members requested further information regarding:

a. The nature and location of participants.

b. Venue hire costs.

2,22 Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust

1. Members requested further information regarding:

a. Uptake of the Digital Inclusion project.

b. The future of Enable partnership.

2.23 Birthright Canterbury Trust

1. Members requested clarification on the impact to the services offered by Birthright Canterbury Trust if they did not receive the funding requested.

Councillor Templeton left the workshop at 1.00 pm and did not rejoin.

3 City Placemaking Fund

1. Members requested advice on:

a. Multi-year funding for Life in Vacant Spaces.

b. Funding for The Green Lab.

The public were excluded from the workshop for the reasons set out on page 5 of the agenda at 1.08 pm.

The workshop concluded at 1.28 pm.