SPONSORED CONTENT:

Rob Reid and Chris Robertson can’t hide their excitement and nor should they.

The Braided Rivers Community Trust CEO and chairperson, on behalf of their board, are poised to boost the organisation’s total annual grants from about $100,000 to $600,000.

It’s a leap that could be district-changing for many organisations and individuals, who rely on BRCT’s generosity for support and development. And that total annual funding increase, announced at Braided Rivers Community Trust’s third annual meeting on Tuesday, could come into play as early as next April.

“We’re still doing a lot of work on what the grants could look like and how it they are structured,’’ Robertson said.

“At this stage we are probably looking at doing committed grants for periods of time to give some certainty to a body and to have measures in place.

“We’ve got to understand what (community) need looks like.’’

Robertson said the funding move still had to be signed off by the board in March but that seemed a certainty. But how the extra cash could be dished out would be an important aspect of its planning.

“We might be going out to the community, saying we want to support groups that support children or that support mental health,’’ he said.

“We will endeavour to understand the need within our community.’’

The total grant increase was possible because chief executive officer Reid said the BRCT was now “working the way we wanted’’ since it was formed in October 2021 after changing its branding, identity and focus after previously operating as the Ashburton Licensing Trust.

Reid said the Trust was suffering losses prior to the sale of hospitality businesses in 2016 and this was projected to continue unless changes were made. In 2023-2024 it had wound up Somserset Ashburton Ltd to reduce overhead costs and enjoyed a 13.8% return on its managed portfolio, which was worth $6.2 million and accounted for 40% of BRCT’s asset base. It also had a $71,000 capital gain on the sale of an Ashburton residential section.

“But a lot of it (turnaround) was getting out of hospitality,’’ Reid said, noting that the Devon Hotel was Trust’s sole tavern it continued to operate.

“If we had stayed in hospitality over the Covid time, it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had cost us two million bucks. But because we had that diversified revenue stream, we weren’t losing money.

“The value on our property dropped $1.2 million (in the past financial year) but the group still made over $300,000. We’re not showing big losses.’’

Robertson said it was all about growth for the Trust, which had transformed since its formation three years ago.

“If, as a licensing trust, it was originally there to control alcohol and the supply it, this is just reinventing itself,’’ he said.

“We can now do good by granting more to people, but we have to think how can we best address need and benefit the community to make changes.

“Because the $600,000 will grow as our capital grows.’’

Robertson said the grant increase decision made all the board feel positive about what it could achieve for the community, but it wasn’t the biggest strategic decision it had made.

“The decision to go to a community trust by two successive boards was the big one.

“But this was the goal at the end of that process.’’

Transforming local lives

How important is the funding support of the Braided Rivers Community Trust to locals? Just ask Tāmati Graham.

The Ashburton teenager was one of many individuals who benefited from the generous funding support from BRCT in the past financial year.

Tāmati, 15, received a $1000 Braided Rivers Community Trust grant to attend the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in Canada

That helped meet expenses for Tāmati to accept a scholarship to attend the school, which can be a launching pad towards a professional ballet career.

And Tāmati was quick to make his mark and settle in as the only New Zealand in attendance. He has made many friends in a closeknit group of 10 dancers in his year who, as well as comprising Canadians, included performers from the United States and Japan to underline the school’s international flavour.

Tāmati appeared in the ballet company's professional 2023 Christmas production of The Nutcracker in front of a 2000-plus audience in his first full year. He could have another three years at the school, though that’s not a given as he has to audition for a place at the start of each year.

Whatever happens, young Tāmati will never forget the people who believed in him and made it possible.

"I'm really grateful for the financial support from the Braided Rivers Community Trust, who've paid for my flight back to Winnipeg," he said.

While Tāmati finetunes his pirouettes and the like, Ashburton College’s high achievers were just as thrilled with the Trust’s support in the 2023-2024 year.

That’s because the Trust again granted $10,000 for year 13 scholarship winners, while funding efforts for the Hakatere community emergency response team could be a lifesaver. The Trust granted $3000 towards the purchase of a defibrillator at the Hakatere Huts.

It was so important that Hakatere Hutholders’ Association president Steve Smith said it could save a life because many of the 150 permanent residents are elderly, which is why it was important to have a defibrillator on site in case someone developed a heart condition.

Defibrillators send an electric shock into the heart to re-set it and get it pumping at a natural rhythm and can be used on both adults and infants.

“Ashburton is 20 minutes away and it would be helpful to have something here if there was an emergency,” Smith said.

“In the past we’ve had to wait for an ambulance.”

-Sponsored Content