Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is launching the 2025 Get Active Community Grant to help get more people, more active, more often.

The annual grant enables eligible organisations to apply for QLDC Sport and Recreation facility entry passes so their patrons can access the facilities on offer at Wānaka Recreation Centre, Paetara Aspiring Central and Queenstown Events Centre.

QLDC community partnerships advisor Marie Schmidt said the grant aims to give access to facilities for people that might find it difficult otherwise.

“The 2024 grant enabled 595 entries into our facilities which is a great result,” Marie said. 

“It represented a 41 percent redemption rate which we’re hoping to improve with this year’s programme as we’re simplifying the passes on offer.

“This year, we’re focusing on making the process even easier for organisations to apply and for participants to use the passes, so we can help more people enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle.”

The Get Active Community Grant will now feature two types of passes.

The first pass is a free swim pass which grants access to Alpine Aqualand, Wānaka Recreation Centre, and Arrowtown Memorial Pool (in the summer) and the second pass is an all facilities pass which grants access to all sport and recreation facilities offerings, excluding sport leagues and some programmes.

The 2025-2026 grant funding criteria remains the same as previous years, which is as follows: applicants must be a registered charity, incorporated society or not-for-profit group; applicants must be based in the Queenstown Lakes District; and sports groups and businesses are not eligible.

Find more details on the Get Active Community Grant here.

Applications close on August 24.

In addition to the new Get Active Community Grant, QLDC offers a range of ‘in kind’ support for local events, fundraising and community projects across the district.

PHOTO: QLDC