New Zealand Communities $46.6 Million Better Off In 2023/24

Pub Charity Limited is pleased to announce a record year of community grants across the motu.

Major recipients of funding in the final two months of the year included Hato Hone St John ($1,004,499.81) and Wellington Free Ambulance ($289,015.85). Thanks to Pub Charity grants, there are five more ambulances and transfer vehicles across New Zealand to respond to the sick and injured.

The Life Flight Trust also received a substantial grant of $425,000 for a second-hand air ambulance for their fleet. Pub Charity is a regular supporter of Life Flight and other recent grants include fit outs and equipment for three aircraft, and the purchase of transfer ambulances to ensure that patients can be transported from their flight to the hospital with no delay.

No one wants to need the services these organisations provide – but we all want to know they’re there if we need them.

Mark Johnston, Chief Executive of Life Flight, spoke about how grants from Pub Charity are literally helping to save lives.

“Life Flight began upgrading and expanding its fleet of air ambulance planes a couple of years ago as demand for our aeromedical services continued to grow, by up to 20 per cent year-on-year. These additional aircraft are helping us to further modernise New Zealand’s air ambulance service, providing more Kiwis with access to life-saving aeromedical transport when every minute counts. Thanks to Pub Charity’s fantastic ongoing support, we’ll be able to fly more than 15,000 patients from right across central New Zealand to critical care over the next decade.”

Pub Charity Managing Director, Martin Cheer, pointed out that while big donations make a big impact, almost 90% of Pub Charity’s grants are under $20,000. “For many organisations, these smaller donations can be equally transformational.”

Grants for sports equipment, travel and accommodation help ensure all Kiwi kids can participate in sport, rather than just those whose parents can afford it.

Mr Cheer noted that there are substantial gaps in public sector funding for organisations that are household names – Pub Charity is an ongoing supporter of Arthritis New Zealand, Asthma Foundation, Diabetes NZ and the Cancer Society, to name but a few.

Over 3,500 organisations received a Pub Charity grant between October 2023 and September 2024, said Mr Cheer. “When you think that the organisations who receive the funding make a positive impact for tens, hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, that’s a lot of Kiwis benefitting from the funds raised in our member hotels and taverns.”

© Scoop Media