The Wānaka A&P Foundation has awarded $45,000 in grants to support rural development, capability building and community wellbeing across the Upper Clutha.

Funded by the Upper Clutha A&P Society, this year’s Rural Development and Wellbeing Grants will support the Wānaka A&P Foundation Winter Crop Competition, the Woman’s Health Bus, the Upper Clutha Tracks Trust, Community Link, and the Luggate and Lake Hāwea Catchment Groups.

Foundation chair Keith Cooper said the funding recognises the breadth of work being done to sustain and strengthen the region’s rural communities.

“We’re proud to support such a wide range of initiatives that help our rural community thrive, from grassroots environmental efforts to individual development and education,” he said. 

“Each of these grants represents an investment in people and projects that will strengthen the future of the Upper Clutha.”

The Capability Development Grants will assist Tanya Simmonds of Hemp Central Limited in advancing sustainable hemp-based construction products, and Claudia Paterson in furthering her studies in animal breeding and genetics at Lincoln University.

Te Kura O Tititea Mount Aspiring College student Robbie McRae has been awarded the foundation’s Agri Scholarship for 2025. Robbie plans to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce at Lincoln University next year.

The foundation said the grants align with its mission to invest in the people and projects that drive innovation, environmental stewardship, and community wellbeing across the Upper Clutha.

More information about the Wānaka A&P Foundation is available here.

Read more: Organisations team up for winter crop competition

PHOTO: Wānaka App