Tuku pūtea Funding
Communities know what works best for whānau. Through the Local Initiative Fund there is pūtea (funding) available to amplify the great mahi that whānau supporters do every day supporting parents and families in Aotearoa.
Our support and local initiative funding is about communities working together in creative ways, trying new things and building on existing strengths. We fund community-led prevention initiatives that focus on positive parenting and the wellbeing of tamariki under-five and their whānau.
Support can range from funding a simple idea quickly, to walking alongside you through a process of working with your community to create a initiative that will have a lasting effect. We can help you tap into networks to get going. This includes mentors, designers, iwi, hapū and community connectors.
Anyone can apply for funding
Anyone within Aotearoa can receive funding from the Local Initiative Fund. Funding does need to be provided to an incorporated organisation – but don't worry if you aren’t incorporated. We can support you through a fundholder so you can get on with the mahi.
We’re not about long application forms. One of our small team of community developers will start by getting to know you and your community over a kaputī or an online hui . We’ll work together with you every step of the way and can even support with co-writing your application.
Tell us your ideas
You don’t need to have decided on every detail. Tell us what you’re noticing, your dreams for whānau and what you think your community needs to reach those dreams. Let’s talk through your goals and see how we can work together.
The impact of community initiatives we’ve supported
Taku Mamia Trust
Based on PhD research into the experiences of wellbeing of young Māori māmā following the birth of their first tamaiti , Mamia is the only marae-based kaupapa Māori child and maternal wellbeing model in Aotearoa. At Waipatu Marae in Hastings, the kaupapa provides a safe, tikanga Māori space for māmā and pēpi. Since the kāinga opened its doors, more than 200 māmā have been supported.
Tongan Society South Canterbury
Using a ‘roll out the mat’ framework and regular talanoa , Tongan Society South Canterbury has designed a holistic initiative in response to the needs of the growing Tongan community in Timaru and the wider area. Feedback from parents shows the initiative is strengthening fanau wellbeing by introducing positive parenting approaches, building support networks and supporting healing.
Creating a sense of belonging – Tongan Society South Canterbury (transcript)
Siesina Manoa Latu:
It’s worth all the running around the crazy work and everything, it’s worth it.
Kourtney Saulala:
Being in a small rural town there isn’t a lot of a Tongan community, so there wasn't a lot of networking or opportunities for us to connect with Will and our fanau, our children's culture and language, so it was quite isolating.
Siesina Manoa Latu:
We create the Tongan Society not only to support our kāinga and help them, but we need a group where we can feel that we connected. This is us, this is who we are, we are Tongans and this is our group.
Kourtney Saulala:
When I first started coming to the Tongan Society I sort of hovered with my children a lot and, you know I had to meet every need of theirs because I guess culturally that's how I've been brought up.
What I've learnt through the Tongan Society is more of it's a community. And so now I sort of come and I let my children run and everyone knows who they are and so you know if they're going into something they shouldn't be someone else stops them, or if they're hurt someone else picks them up and through creating them relationships they're just kind of like a wider extended family for us.
Now when I come, I can just kind of let the kids be kids and have fun and I get to kind of just enjoy myself.
'Ulukilupetea Langi:
I really do feel connected with my Tongan culture, especially those people around me.
In public and at school I normally speak English and I think the Tongan language is like flowing out of me.
I think the best thing being Tongan is getting to dance and be happy and just enjoy especially the food like I do.
Kolokiholeua Langi:
Being Tongan it's hard to fit in, it's a very diverse environment, different cultures, and countries and people and nationalities and without the Tongan Society you wouldn't get that sense of belonging.
'Ulukilupetea Langi:
I'm really proud to be a Tongan.
Kolokiholeua Langi:
I’m very proud to be Tongan.
Kourtney Saulala:
Since coming to the Tongan Society Blake is so confident. And so proud to be Tongan. She has learnt to tau’olunga, so to dance and she dances so beautifully.
Blake's 4 and so she's little and she just loves it, she just thinks it's fantastic she's so proud.
Watching Blake and seeing her perform makes me very emotional. I’m so so proud.
Will Saulala:
They've had, I think it was might have been a week where it was solely lea fakatonga where the kids had to stand up and speak, had to say their name where they're from and everything in Tongan.
Blake:
Mālō e lelei, ko hoku hingoá ko Blake, ʻOku ou taʻu fa.
Will Saulala:
I really think my children are very, very proud to be Tongan, and for the past few weeks I've been helping Blake with her dance.
I tell her Blake teuteu and so she stands there and gets ready and then out the blue my son will come and be standing here beside her saying‚ yep teuteu, I’m ready Dad, I’m ready too. And so it just makes me very proud just to see them getting ready and just wanting to learn and to dance.
I may not show it on the outside, but I am very, very proud.
Siesina Manoa Latu:
We know our community, we know the needs, we know the solution.
All the programmes that we created is because there's a need for it, and again we have the talanoa. We have a framework, it's roll out the mat. Like the women, we talk with the women they say ‘we want to learn how to sew, we want to learn how to weave’.
It's not more like us telling hey we should do this.
I'm so happy with what we have created we come up with a solution to the issue that needed to be addressed.
We do think as families together, for example the Ako Tonga. Even though it's for the primary school but the families come together, you cannot leave your baby at home and bring the other kids.
What matters is our fanau they are happy, you know they feel happy they feel proud that's all it matters so I'm so happy with that.
Ailine Luyten:
I think myself that it’s special cause lots and lots of other people in the community accept us as we are. I think it’s special.
Favourite thing for me is look at my grandkids learn how to speak a few Tongan words and do a little bit of dancing. And make me so warm, so I like to go and give them a wee fakapale.
I feel so happy that I know that they learn to accept and learn my own culture.
Siesina Manoa Latu:
We need to look at a 5 years plan, 10 years plan because it's going to grow and it is growing.
I feel we have helped our future.