Te Puke events among those to benefit from combined Western Bay-Tauranga events fund

Te Kete Matariki was one of the events that received funding from the Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund.

Te Puke events — some gone, some still to come — are among the successful applicants to a fund set up to support community events.

The Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund (TWBCEF) had $223,000 distributed in its latest round.

The fund aims to provide a co-ordinated approach to supporting community events in the region. Offering a streamlined process for applicants to one centralised fund, also allowing access to new and additional funding not previously available to the community.

Last month’s Te Kete Matariki event benefited from the fund and future events, including a sustainability expo and the Christmas float parade, have also received a boost.

The fund has up to six rounds each year, and $223,000 of the $900,000 annual funding pool for 2023-24 was allocated during round one.

The events granted funding are spread throughout this year, with three early next year, and all are community-driven events that aim to enrich the Tauranga and Western Bay communities through active participation and inclusion.

“We’re thrilled to see such a wide variety of events gain funding from the latest round of the Tauranga Western Bay Community Events Fund,” says Alastair Rhodes, of BayTrust.

“The funding boost of $200,000 to the event fund for this year means we can support more community-led activations that allow local groups to showcase their events and ensure we support events across all areas from sports to arts and culture.”

Fund organisers, Acorn Foundation, BayTrust, Tauranga City Council, TECT and Western Bay of Plenty District Council are inviting new community event applications to be submitted before the August 20 cut-off date. Decisions for round two of the fund will be released by September 20.

The maximum funding cap per event is $50,000 for events in Tauranga and $15,000 for Western Bay of Plenty events.

Te Puke events

■ Te Kete Matariki held on Juy14 at Jubilee Park, Te Puke

■ Te Puke Sustainability Expo and Spring Clean, coming September 17 at Te Puke War Memorial Hall, downtown Te Puke streets, parks, and parking areas

■ EPIC Te Puke Treat Trail, coming October 31 in downtown Te Puke

■ Seeka Te Puke Christmas Float Parade coming December 2 in downtown Te Puke

■ EPIC Te Puke Easter Trail Event coming March 30 at Jubilee Park and Te Ara Kahikatea Trail, Te Puke

Other events

■ Matariki Star Lantern Workshop held from July 6-7 at The Arts Junction, Katikati

■ Matariki Dawn Service held July 14 at Park Road Reserve, Katikati

■ Hairy Maclary’s Greatest Hits held July 29 at Baycourt: Addison Theatre, Tauranga

■TOF Sunday Concert held July 30 at The Jam Factory, Historic Village, Tauranga

■ LGBTQIA+ friendly Mid-winter Roller Disco, coming August 12 at Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, Tauranga

■ Rhymes & Lyrics, coming August 225 at Totara St, Mount Maunganui

■ Chinese Music Concert, coming August 26 at Bethlehem College, Bethlehem

■ Aaravam, coming August 26 at Te Puna Hall, Te Puna

■ Zespri AIMS Games, coming from September 2-8 at multiple locations within Tauranga

■ TOF Scholarship Concert, coming September 9 at Wesley Church, Tauranga

■ September YPT Concert, coming September 16 at Wesley Church, Tauranga

■ Stem Fest, coming October 1 at Durham St, Tauranga

■ Mozart and More, coming October 14 at Baycourt: Addison Theatre, Tauranga

■ Tauranga Diwali Festival, coming October 28 at Historic Village, Tauranga

■ Katikati Upcycle Christmas Tree Competition, coming from November 30 to December 21 outside The Arts Junction, Katikati

■ Katikati Christmas Concert, coming December 2 at Moore Park, Katikati

■ Anzac Bay Summer Kick Off, coming December 2 at Anzac Bay, Bowentown

■ NZ Beach 5s Rugby, coming December 2-3 at Mount Maunganui Beach

■ Katikati Christmas Grotto, coming December 15-28 at The Arts Junction, Katikati

■ Mount Festival of Multisport coming January 20 at Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui

■ Ultimate Beach Run coming February 3 at Mount Main Beach, Mount Maunganui

Applications for round two of the TWBCEF are now open through www.communityeventfund.nz