The 2013-14 Community Internship Programme funding round gave seven New Zealand community groups a share of $229,797 to employ interns.
''The funding will be shared among the successful community groups and will fund a variety of projects including relationship-building, improving connections with the community and building capability.''
The internships could be for full-time placements between three months and six months or part-time for up to a year, Mrs Goodhew said.
The successful applicants included the Otago Youth Wellness Trust (OYWT), $36,834, and the St Martin Island Community Inc, $26,425.
Mrs Goodhew said the OYWT provided a free service for people aged between 11 and 18 with complex needs, who were least likely to access mainstream services for support.
Mrs Goodhew said the trust reported high rates of young people in Otago not engaged in education, employment or training and the trust would reverse the trend with increased collaboration with experienced partners.
The money would fund an intern from the Salvation Army, Mrs Goodhew said.
Saint Martin Island Community Inc said members of Knox Church and the Theological Hall in the late 1950s obtained a lease for the 14ha island in the Otago Harbour and began its environmental and ecological regeneration.
The community group believed its historical church affiliation had stopped people participating and contributing to its programmes.
A Salvation Army intern would focus on capacity and capability building, with a goal to develop new programmes, material and resources and communication strategies to extend its outreach to people in Otago.
