The ZQN Community Fund will hand out this amount each year to empower charitable groups responding to the most pressing needs in the Queenstown-Lakes and Central Otago districts.
Administered by the Wakatipu Community Fund (WCF), 78 applications were received for this inaugural distribution.
The applications were assessed by a panel of representatives from the airport, the local council and WCF.
Queenstown Airport’s partnerships and marketing manager Vanessa Hartnell says "we had to make tough decisions, but the review committee prioritised projects supporting youth, families and food security — areas where we saw the greatest need".
Alastair Gay, vice-president of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association’s Southern Lakes branch, says their $5000 grant "will mean more hunted game meat can now be processed and donated to local charities through KiwiHarvest".
"This is a win for everyone, as less meat will be wasted and more families will receive great-quality meat, which is an expensive food item."
Other Whakatipu recipients are:
- Glenorchy Playgroup for a new water heater ($5000);
- Frankton Volunteer Fire Brigade for new safety equipment ($4714.44);
- Living Options Central Otago for art sessions at Te Atamira for youth with disabilities ($2613.35);
- Central Lakes Family Services for teens and family workshops ($2500);
- Queenstown Lakes Baby Box Trust to buy items for Baby Boxes ($2500);
- Whakatipu Toy Library programme support ($2500);
- Queenstown Scouts to support running of a new social enterprise ($2162.21).
