The Cromwell Early Learning Centre and the Roxburgh Community Garden were both recipients in the latest Otago Community Trust grants when, in total, $1.17 million was invested in community projects.
Other highlights included a new ambulance station in Oamaru and an underwater search vehicle for the Southern Lakes, the trust said in a statement this month.
The Roxburgh Community Garden would use their $1000 grant to install a tunnel house, extending growing capacity for the garden that donated produce to a local rest-home and provided educational opportunities for schools and early childhood centres, the statement said.
The garden’s Sheelagh Martyn said the tunnel house would allow the community group to extend the growing season for vegetables over the winter months and expand into some covered crops.
Nearby, Wao Aotearoa Charitable Trust received $20,000 for their work in supporting community-led environmental action.
Its programmes include the Southern Lakes Kai Collective, which strengthens regional food resilience, the Wānaka Bike Bus and wider Ride for Change programme, and Journey to 2126, a long-term planning initiative for communities and decision-makers.
The statement said Wānaka Search and Rescue Inc planned to use its $20,000 grant for training and equipment, including a remotely operated underwater vehicle, which would allow the group to search the depths of the Southern Lakes for the first time.
In Waitaki, The Order of St John South Island Region Trust Board received $500,000 to put towards a new ambulance station in Oamaru to replace a 43-year-old facility.
The new station would support emergency ambulance services, first aid training, youth programmes and the Waka Ora Health Shuttle. Completion was expected late this year or early 2027.
Cromwell Early Learning Centre Inc received $200,000. — Allied Media
Otago Community Trust
Grants, May 2026
Alexandra
Uruuruwhenua Health Incorporated — $20,000
Central Otago Friendship Network — $6,000
Balclutha
Balclutha Golf Club Inc — $17,500
Cromwell
Cromwell Early Learning Centre Inc — $200,000
Dunedin
Hearing Association Dunedin Branch Inc — $5,000
East Otago Riding for the Disabled Association Incorporated — $10,000
Te Mana Ahua Ake Charitable Trust — $60,000
Pukehiki Hall Soc Inc — $20,000
Island Park Golf Club Inc — $17,500
Dunedin Street Art Charitable Trust — $2,780
Andersons Bay Community Kindergarten Inc — $10,000
Musselburgh School — $16,200
Ōtākou Golf Club Incorporated — $10,500
Methodist Mission Southern — $10,000
Dunedin Jazz Foundation — $20,000
Otago Potters Group Incorporated — $6,300
Kin-Inspired Trust — $2,500
Association of Friends of the Otago Museum — $5,000
Harbour Rugby Football Club Incorporated — $2,000
Mosgiel
Taieri Christian Care Trust — $12,500
Mosgiel Scout Group — $18,000
Oamaru
North Otago Golf Club — $6,300
Waitaki Valley School — $20,000
Oamaru Intermediate School — $4,000
Otago
Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) — $2,500
Otematata Residents Assoc Inc — $3,200
Maniototo Adventure Park Charitable Trust — $8,000
Skeggs Foundation — $24,150
Dunedin Archery Club — $2,100
Special Olympics Nth Otago Trust — $10,000
Waitaki Valley Community Society Inc — $5,000
Presbyterian Support Northern T/A Lifeline — $10,000
Millers Flat Bakehouse Restoration Trust — $23,000
The Order of St John South Island Region Trust Board — $500,000
Other
Te Rōpū Kaitito Pūoro o Aotearoa — The Composers Association of New Zealand — $4,500
YES Disability Resource Centre Services Trust — $3,000
WoolOn Creative & Fashion Society Incorporated — $10,000
Ranfurly
New Zealand Olympic Luge Assn Inc — $2,500
Roxburgh
Roxburgh Community Garden — $1,000
Waikouaiti
Waikouaiti Bowling Club Inc — $800
Wānaka
Central Otago Archers Incorporated — $3,000
NZ Mountain Film Festival Charitable Trust — $5,000
Wao Aotearoa Charitable Trust — $20,000
Wānaka Search and Rescue Inc — $20,000
Wānaka Musicians Incorporated — $12,000
