Where There's Water Community Environmental Grants provide funding to help the community understand, maintain, protect and improve their water environment. This includes streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and beaches in urban and rural areas. The grants programme was initiated by the staff of BOC in New Zealand, and the fund was launched in June 2002. BOC provides all of the funding for Where There's Water and Water New Zealand administers the grants on behalf of BOC.

About the Grants

Applications will be assessed on how effectively they meet the objectives of the Where There’s Water Community Environmental Grants, which are as follows:

• improve educational opportunities for children to learn about their water environment
• improve community awareness of the condition and importance of the water environment
• assist schools and the community to participate in real action to maintain, protect and improve their water environment

Applications will be assessed in terms of their beneficial contribution to the water environment, the extent to which projects will improve student/community understanding of the water environment, and confidence that the project will be successful and provide value for money.

Applications will be assessed by a panel, all decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Please note: Funding decisions are strongly influenced by the degree of ‘hands on’ participation that the project offers to those involved, i.e. pupils and/or community members.

Who can apply?

Grants are available to schools, community groups and other non-profit organisations, for environmental projects that have a water focus. These projects should have public benefit rather than private gain.

Project Examples:

• A primary school cleaning up a local stream requires $500 for rubbish bags and skips and $500 for trees to plant on the stream bank
• An estuary care group restoring a wetland requires $2,000 for earthworks, fencing and pedestrian pathways, and the bringing together of various community groups for implementing the restoration project
• Teachers wanting students in their school to participate in a water education programme require $1,000 to purchase testing kits, manuals and native plants

How Much Funding is Available?

Applications for funding of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be considered. Applications requesting more than $5,000 will also be accepted if an exceptional project showing high environmental value is presented.

We suggest that you also investigate the following sources of funding:

• Sustainable Management Fund
• Local and Regional Councils
• Funding Information Service (www.fis.org.nz)

How to Apply

Download the application form fill it out and and send to:

Email: wtw@waternz.org.nz

Post:
Grants Administrator
Where There’s Water
Water New Zealand
PO Box 1316
Wellington 6140

Please include any supporting documentation.

If your project is successful the information in your application will be used to create a Funding Agreement.

You will also be required to report on the project at least twice in the funding year, and updates will be requested in subsequent years if your project is ongoing.

BOC employees may be able to provide additional assistance to your project. Please contact your local Gas & Gear Manager to discuss opportunities for assistance. You can phone BOC Gas & Gear Centres on 0800 111 333.

We also request that you proactively acknowledge the financial contribution that BOC makes to your project.

2009 Recipients - Be inspired by the projects below!

We are delighted to present the 2009 BOC Where There's Water community environmental grant recipients. The number and quality of applications received was impressive, with some amazing projects already underway and some exciting plans afoot! Read on to find out more about the projects in store for 2009/2010.

Opunake High School, Taranaki - Enviro Team

The Opunake High School Environ Team are ready to launch a water testing programme and are looking forward to testing and micro invertebrate identification. This will be carried out by students from the junior school. Longer term, the school plans to carry out riparian planting and evaluate the effects of this on the water quality in the river.

Papatoetoe High School, Manukau - Wai Papatoetoe Stream Restoration Project

The Wai Papatoetoe project has proven to be valuable both for students and community. The project is being funded by BOC WTW grants for the third time, this year to contribute towards the purchase of native trees, shrubs and sedges to cover a previously cleared area. Students, stream neighbours and community volunteers are all involved in the project.

See the latest updates through the blog webpage: www.waipapatoetoestreamproject.blogspot.com

 

Otonga Primary School, Rotorua - Investigating Water Quality

Otonga Primary School will be purchasing computer microscopes to help them examine water samples and microbiology of the stream on their school grounds. Students are looking forward to inspecting tiny stream creatures and their habitats and finding out how to improve water quality.

Nayland Primary School, Nelson - Potting and Planting

The BOC funding is going to help Nayland Primary School extend its propagation activities. Students hope to undertake the complete process from seedraising to planting native plants on the bank of a stream running adjacent to the school.

Rudolf Steiner Wetland Care Group, Tauranga - Wetland Restoration Project

The Rudolf Steiner School community in Tauranga will also be continuing their work on the restoration of a wetland site at Welcome Bay in Tauranga. Aspirations for the wetland include building a walking track and a fish pass to allow native fish species to gain access to the wetlands upper tributary. This year's Where There's Water funds will be used for materials and a site-specific restoration plan to unite the various threads of work planned for the site.

Friends of the Otaki River, Otaki - Otaki River West Walkway Upgrade

This project involves the planting of a site adjacent to a public walkway. The site will be fenced off by a windbreak, and then planted and maintained by a range of community groups, including students from the local secondary school, and the local Kea Scout group.

Remuera Primary School, Auckland - Waiata Reserve Clean-Up

After finding out that the water quality of their local stream was poor, the students at Remuera Primary School decided to improve the stream and its water environment. Following a community clean up of the Waiata Reserve, students will regularly test the water quality and record and publish their findings to the community.

Parua Bay Primary School, Whangarei - Parua Bay School Wildlife Walkway

Students of Parua Bay Primary School, along with their parents and two local Landcare groups, will be working to establish a corridor from the school to neighbouring Parua Bay. The area will be planted with native coastal vegetation to provide a buffer for the saline wetland, and to encourage native birds back to the area.

Tomahawk-Smaills Beachcare Trust, Dunedin - Restoring the Values of Tomahawk Creek

This Dunedin Group has been working on the revegetation and clean-up of the Tomahawk Creek, with great results so far. The Group will use funding for a number of planting days, helped by students from a local school and Otago University. The stream will provide a base for numerous water and wildlife monitoring activities, including the Little Blue Penguins that inhabit the rubble at the seaward end of the creek!

Brooklyn School, Motueka - Brooklyn Stream by Brooklyn School

This project involves students from the local primary school investigating, monitoring and caring for the local stream which feeds into the Motueka river. The BOC WTW funding will be used to cover the introductory phase of the project.

Tautoro School, Otago - Healthy Water, Healthy Waterways Education Programme

All students at Tautoro School are going to have the opportunity to learn about and care for their freshwater environment. BOC WTW funding will contribute towards the purchase of SHMAK kits to help research the biodiversity and ecology in local waterways, and regularly test the water quality.

Waiheke Island Wetland Initiative - Waiheke Schools Wetland Restoration Project

The Waiheke Schools Wetland Restoration Project was started in 2007 and involves the restoration of a freshwater wetland, stream and riparian zone on Waiheke Island. This year’s phase of restoration involves further site preparation and planting. Work will be carried out in partnership with pupils, parents and teachers from local schools.

Paroa School, Greymouth - Sports Field Planting Project

The sports field at Paroa School borders a tidal waterway area which is currently uncared for. Students, parents and community members are going to clear, fence and plant along the boundary, selecting plants that will be suitable for the coastal location and will attract and increase the native bird population.

Green Island School, Dunedin - The Regeneration of Ram Island

Green Island school has been working hard to regenerate Wakaraupuku (Ram) Island, to encourage wildlife back into the wetlands area. So far they have seen great results. This year they will continue their restoration with further planting, undertaken by Year 6 children on their annual school camp, with assistance from parents and teachers.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary Limited, Otago - Orokonui Ecosanctuary Aquatic Programme

This project will provide educational opportunities for school students to learn how to monitor and care for freshwater ecosystems. They will do this by comparing stream ecosystems in their school area. The BOC WTW funding will facilitate the purchase of stream monitoring resources.

Henley Trust 2003 / Lakeview School, Masterton - Tree Planting and Stream Restoration Project

The Henley Trust will continue it's great work with this year's funding contributing towards planting an area adjacent to that planted in 2007. Nursery trees will be used to create a native area to encourage birdlife. The project will be carried out by students from Lakeview School, their parents, teachers, and members of the community.

RSNZ, Wellington - Environmental Monitoring & Action Project (EMAP)

The Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) EMAP project continues to improve educational opportunities for children and their families, enabling them to take action to improve their freshwater environment. Receipt of the grant will enable RSNZ to work with more schools to deliver water monitoring activities and programs around the country, with the provision of SHMAK resources, large bug boxes and digital thermometers. Links between the WTW programme and EMAP will continue to be strengthened by connecting EMAP coordinators with BOC regional staff. See the EMAP webpage for more information on their great work: www.emap.rsnz.org