Stories
Menu
August 2022 Newsletter
Click here to read the latest news from Eastern & Central Community Trust.
Second funding initiative launched under the Rangatahi Action Plan
Fifteen organisations will receive grants totalling $600K under Eastern & Central Community Trust’s (ECCT) new Champion Rangatahi Development Fund, with the main aim of strengthening...
Not all superheroes wear capes
Life can throw up all kinds of challenges, and sometimes you need a guiding hand to help navigate the storms. SuperGrans Tairawhiti is leading the...
Racing to new adventures in Wairoa
Up until now Wairoa hasn’t had a reputation for adventure sports – but a new mountain biking park aims to make it a destination of...
Dannevirke community Toy Library
With the cost of everything skyrocketing, how do you keep young children affordably amused? Dannevirke community Toy Library has been a go-to resource for the...
Creating space for a diverse community in Manawatu
With aging facilities and an increasingly diverse population in its region, the Manawatu Chinese Association devised a plan to create a more effective space to...
Pumping positive energy into Horowhenua youth
How do you turn around statistics in an area known for crime? For the last five years the Taitoko community in Horowhenua have been collaborating...
Consolidating community connections for a wonderful Wairarapa
If you’re part of a community group doing great stuff, it’s often hard to work out who else in your area is doing similar work...
Bringing theatre to the regions
How do you bring all the facets of professional theatre to life for young people? The team at Young & Hungry Arts Trust have found...
Answering the call
When the team at Rowan House needed to upgrade their call bell system, they applied to Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT) for funding to...
Keeping safe and active on the water
How do you grow a love of the sea, and keep active at the same time? By learning how to sail traditional waka, people of...
Painting a brighter future
Community art projects don’t just happen by themselves – they need a team of dreamers, believers, and creators, and someone to ignite the spark. Add...
Levelling the playing field
The benefits of playing sports and being outside are well-documented for children of all ages. Having the right pitch to play on is key these...
Designing school pride
How do you maintain school pride without a regular uniform? The students at Koputaroa School have come up with a solution that enables them to...
Climbing the walls in Levin
Finding the right play equipment for a busy community takes time and effort, and the team at Levin Adventure Park Charitable Trust were keen to...
A quarter-century of community love
For the last 25 years the team at Palmerston North Street Van Inc. (PNSV) have been out in the community every Saturday night in Palmerston...
Growing generations of great gardeners
How do you get young people interested in the food they eat? By showing them how it all works – from plant to plate. For...
ChangeAbility Inc.
When you need support and counselling, finding the right place to go can be a challenge. For folks in Wairarapa there’s a place where there’s...
Connecting communities through community-led development
Amazing things are happening in Kiwi communities but most of the time we don’t hear about them, and often other communities don’t get to benefit...
Books a hit with kids thanks to Summer Reading Programme
Palmerston North City Library has recently completed its twenty-third successful Summer Reading Programme to the delight of more than 500 children. Funded by Eastern and...
Restored bike track brings old school BMX back to Wairarapa
The dust has barely settled on the recently refurbished Central Wairarapa BMX track, and yet the locals are already turning up in droves each weekend...
Only aroha spread in isolated East Cape communities during COVID-19 lockdown
When New Zealand came under threat of deadly pandemic, COVID-19, Tairāwhiti’s Te Aroha Kanarahi Trust knew it had to act quickly to protect vulnerable communities...
Affordable toys for everyone
For more than three decades, the Carterton Community Toy Library has come to the rescue of parents and caregivers needing something “new” to entertain their...
Financial support alleviates burden on families
In 1990 a group of Christians in Palmerston North had a vision to assist people who were struggling financially. They wanted to enable and empower...
Hohepa takes next step in creating opportunities for intellectually disabled people
When it comes to choosing gourmet cheese, Hohepa Hawke’s Bay has become a household favourite throughout New Zealand. Not only is it organic and extremely...
Rugby club the heart of rural town
At the heart of the small rural town of Eketahuna is the Eketahuna Rugby Club, where nearly half of the town’s population of 444 are...
Music through the ages
Whether it’s a Beatles hit or a 17th Century tune, the songs performed by the Horowhenua Savage Club bring delight to residents of rest homes...
Huringa Pai at the heart of health and fitness movement in Gisborne
Sick and tired of witnessing too many people in his community lose their lives unnecessarily to diabetes and heart disease, Gisborne GP, Willem Jordaan, launched...
Charitable Trust supports men to be positive fathers
Every month a group of men – of all ages – meet at a local coffee shop in Wairarapa with their children and grandchildren, inadvertently...
Uniforms for volunteers have far-reaching benefits
Volunteers are an integral part of most charitable organisations – selflessly pitching in wherever needed and seeking nothing in return. This is certainly the case...
Playground brings Flaxmere community together
Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT) is delighted to see the completion of Kimi Ora School’s innovative new community playground in Hawke’s Bay – a...
Caring community at heart of Coffin Club Hawke’s Bay
Mention “Coffin Club” in a conversation and you instantly capture your audience’s attention. “What’s that all about?” Many people ask with intrigue. Well,...
New Chief Executive appointed at ECCT
Following the resignation of General Manager Jonathan Bell, Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Clapperton as its...
ECCT COVID-19 Update: 22 November 2021
With the ever-changing environment in which we now live due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Eastern & Central Community Trust has an obligation under the Health...
New funding focuses on rangatahi development
Are you an organisation passionate about empowering and developing rangatahi to reach their potential? Eastern and Central Community Trust’s Rōpū Taiohi are inviting expressions...
ECCT announces resignation of General Manager
Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) General Manager, Jonathan Bell, has announced his resignation, effective 22 December. After nearly eight years with ECCT, Jonathan...
$4.19M granted to community organisations by ECCT in past financial year
Eastern and Central Community Trust’s Annual Public Meeting (APM) was again impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and as a result, was held virtually on Tuesday, 5...
WATCH: Eastern and Central Community Trust APM 2021
To watch the 2021 Eastern & Central Community Trust APM, held at 12pm Tuesday, 5 October, click here.
Eastern and Central Community Trust earmarks $4M for youth development
As part of its commitment to rangatahi, Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) has announced it is allocating $4M over four years to fund youth...
Action Plan focuses on opportunities and opening doors for youth
Eastern and Central Community Trust is thrilled to announce the completion of its Rangatahi Action Plan, which sets out the Trust’s funding priorities for rangatahi...
New fund available for youth-led projects
Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) is thrilled to launch its new Youth-Led Fund, which aims to assist and empower rangatahi (young people) to deliver...
Meri kirihimete from Eastern & Central Community Trust
Meri kirihimete kia koutou katoa! He mihi tenei kia koutou mai nga mema poari me nga kaimahi o Eastern Central Community Trust kia haumaru nga...
Young people at heart of Trust’s new project
Young people were at the heart of a two-day wānanga (workshop) hosted by Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) at Pukemokimoki Marae, Napier, recently. Twenty-one...
Supporting local youth voices to be heard
ECCT is working with rangatahi and community organisations to develop an Action Plan to guide our funding to young people (aged 10-24 years) over the...
$6M granted to community organisations by ECCT in past financial year
Like many organisations around the country, Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) moved its Annual Public Meeting (APM) online due to COVID-19 Level 2 restrictions....
Work continues at ECCT in all COVID-19 alert levels
Despite our offices only open to staff during Level 2, please be assured that no matter what alert level the country is in, the work...
Celebrating 30 years of community giving
Eastern & Central Community Trust is one of the 12 Community Trusts set up 30 years ago, after the New Zealand Government deregulated banking. Read...
