Community Initiatives

Image of community sitting by the river

Whanganui District Council is committed to working in partnership with our community to progress initiatives that address an identified issue or opportunity within our district. These may be improvements to council-owned or administered public spaces and facilities or other community-led initiatives that require council permission, capability, resources or funding.

Community members and groups are welcome to submit proposals on ways the community and the council, working together, can improve our city and district.

Community members and groups are often best-placed to know their needs and opportunities and to take a lead role in projects. We have many examples of communities successfully leading the way in our district. Initiatives most likely to gain support are expected to come from groups with the expertise and passion for an idea or an issue which they can take a lead role in.  

This process provides a way for communities to introduce their ideas to the council, help communities navigate local government ways of working and deliver positive outcomes for Whanganui through effective partnership. Working in this way helps attract multiple sources of funding, effort and expertise for delivering community projects faster and more effectively.

It will also assist the council to prioritise projects, addressing the greatest needs within the funding available. Projects will follow a transparent process and receive due consideration.

What we can consider

Before submitting a proposal, make sure your idea fits our criteria for community initiatives.

We can’t consider the following under community initiatives:

  • grant funding requests
  • operational spending (such as staff salaries and ongoing building maintenance)
  • projects already covered by other council plans (for example, the roading budget).

Before you start

View the guidelines(PDF, 1MB)

How to start

The first step is to tell us more about the initiative you are proposing by completing the project summary online form.

Complete the online form here

The community initiative proposal asks for information about what you are trying to achieve, who should be involved in the project and potential funding sources. Initiatives could be well progressed or simply an expression of interest at an early stage of the project, with ideas needing further development.

All proposals will be supported by council staff who will be in touch with you to request further information if required – and recommend next steps in progressing the initiative through the process.

All initiatives will be submitted to the council’s Projects and Grants Committee for consideration. There may be an opportunity for groups to present directly to the committee.

Timeframes / key dates

Submissions have closed for proposals to be considered as part of the Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 process. Community groups are still welcome to put forward new projects at any time to be presented to elected members at our Projects and Grants Committee. However, these new initiatives will not be able to be included in the council’s work programme until the next long-term plan (2027-2038).  

Contact

We encourage you to make contact with project management office prior to starting a project summary. Email PMO@whanganui.govt.nz

Other funding opportunities

You may be interested in other council funding opportunities here

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