New Grant Finder makes it easier for Waitaki locals to access funding

Published on 19 June 2025

Waitaki District Council has launched a new, free online Grant Finder tool to help local businesses, community groups, not-for-profits and individuals find funding opportunities quickly and easily.

Through a partnership with GrantGuru, the Waitaki Grant Finder gives access to over $3.4 billion in available grants nationwide. The smart, searchable site helps users find funding by keyword or topic – whether for a startup, project, business expansion or community initiative.

“This is about helping our district thrive,” said Melanie Jones, Community & Economic Development Manager. “We know the funding landscape is tougher than ever. This tool saves time, simplifies the process, and ensures no opportunity is missed.”

The Grant Finder is part of Council’s wider transformation journey to make services more accessible, proactive and community focused. As part of this, Council has also created a new Grants & Funding Officer role to support locals with advice and application development.

“We’re here to make it easier to access funding and maximise the benefit to our district,” said Leanne Kingan, Grants & Funding Officer. “The feedback from early test users has been great — it’s easy to navigate, saves time, and helps people get grant-ready.”

Locals interested in exploring funding opportunities are encouraged to visit the Council website and take a look at the Waitaki Grant Finder. It’s free to use, simple to navigate, and designed to help our communities succeed - https://www.waitaki.govt.nz/grantguru

Chief Executive Alex Parmley says: “The new Grant Finder is about changing the way we do things. Instead of community groups approaching Council for funding, we can support them to find funding elsewhere. This transformational change also opens up funding opportunities for businesses, growing our local economy”

For more information, feel free to reach out to our Grants and Funding Officer at:

Waitaki District Council

Private Bag 50058

20 Thames Street, Oamaru 9444

Phone: (03) 433 0300

Email: grantsadmin@waitaki.govt.nz

ENDS