Over $670,000 has been made available to the Auckland sport and recreation sector with two additional funds: Junior Players Tāmaki Makaurau and Working Together Tāmaki Makaurau, designed to support organised sport in the region.

The one-off funds are part of Aktive’s sector support initiative assisting those impacted by the more restricted lockdown Auckland faced mid-last year due to COVID-19. They are supported by community delivery partners CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland and Sport Waitākere.

Aktive CE Dr Sarah Sandley outlines how the funds are targeted to make a difference for those impacted by the pandemic.

"Due to the additional COVID-19 lockdown Auckland faced last year, the organised sport sector has taken a hit in terms of how it would usually operate, be sustainable and retain members. With the help of our community delivery partners, we will distribute this funding to support organisations and projects working through this difficult environment."

The Junior Players Tāmaki Makaurau Fund sees $577,000 available to support tamariki and rangatahi to continue to be active through organised sport, particularly where cost of membership or cost to play has been identified as a barrier.

This one-off fund opens 9.00am 1 February 2021 and closes 11.59pm 29 March 2021.

The fund covers costs such as membership or access fees, vouchers or multi-code memberships, essential sports equipment and clothing. It has been allocated on a regional and local basis and will be distributed on merit to organisations that demonstrate they are best placed to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi from higher deprivation households.

The Junior Players Tāmaki Makaurau Fund will be managed by Aktive in collaboration with CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland and Sport Waitākere. Specific contributions have been made from CLM Community Sport and Harbour Sport, and their investment will be specifically deployed in the South Auckland and North Harbour areas respectively. The maximum amount that an individual organisation can apply for is $20,000.

The Working Together Fund makes available $115,000 to support projects that will create transformational change as a result of organisations working together. This one-off fund opens 9.00am 1 March 2021 and closes 11.59am 3 May 2021.

This fund covers costs such as project management, governance set up, facilitators and advisors. It comprises contributions from Aktive, Sport Auckland and Sport Waitākere, who will manage it with advice from CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport and Auckland Council. Aktive’s investment covers the whole Auckland region, and Sport Auckland and Sport Waitākere’s investment must be deployed in Central Auckland (including the Howick community) and West Auckland areas. The maximum amount that can be applied for is $20,000.

Dr Sandley adds: "Our vision is to make Auckland the world’s most active city. The development of these funds is based on sector wide surveys and valuable feedback which is helping us to identify the best ways to support the Auckland sport and recreation sector, particularly Auckland’s tamariki and rangatahi.

"The Junior Players Tāmaki Makaurau and Working Together Tāmaki Makaurau Funds bring together investment from Sport New Zealand, Aktive, CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland and Sport Waitākere. We are grateful to our partners for funding and supporting these additional grants for the region, and we look forward to working with them to distribute the funds."

For more information on the Junior Players Tāmaki Makaurau and Working Together Tāmaki Makaurau Funds, including guidelines and application forms, visit https://aktive.org.nz/funding/

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