Rotorua Lakes Council's little-used sister city grant to be scrapped under new policy

Councillor Charles Sturt believed a sister cities grant should be retained. Photo / Ben Fraser

A grant to help fund sister city exchanges looks likely to be scrapped as the Rotorua Lakes Council overhauls its grants policy.

The fund was not utilised and the money could be better spent elsewhere, mayor Steve Chadwick says.

The council's strategy, policy and finance committee today voted to recommend to the full council that it adopt a new Community Funding Investment Policy.

The policy would replace several individual grant policies, and would include a focus on equity.

The committee also voted to recommend the council disestablish the Rotorua Lakes Council Sister Cities Fund and reallocate those funds through the new policy.

The fund was established by the council in 2011 with the intention of providing an annual
scholarship to a group of people making contact with, for cultural or educational purposes, a council sister city or a city with which the district had a formal Friendship Agreement.

It distributed $1000 annually.

One scholarship was awarded in 2013 to Rotorua Intermediate for travel to China. No further applications have been received.

While committee members backed the proposal, there was some concern around scrapping the fund.

Councillor Charles Sturt said he did not want to "throw the baby out with the bath water" by missing an opportunity to promote the grant more.

He said the council needed to be transparent about what grants were available, so people knew what they could apply for.

Chadwick said she did not believe the grant was "very valuable", and the money could be "better dispersed".

"I don't think it's being used."

The full council will meet on February 28.