Thank you to everyone who submitted Large Grant applications to Environment Network Manawatū’s (ENM) Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF).

Established in 2020, the EIF is administered by ENM and is made possible through the support of Palmerston North City Council and Eastern & Central Community Trust.

As with previous funding rounds, we were significantly oversubscribed for large grants with 29 applications worth over $400,000 in funding requests.

Of the nineteen successful applications, we were able to fully fund four projects and partially fund a further fifteen. Just over $135,175 in large grants was distributed this year.

A summary of each successful project is provided below and has been categorised under the most relevant of ENM’s four pou.

An additional page with stories of our small grant projects can be found here.

Circular Economy

A community store for the 4412: Te Whare Koha in Highbury provides a store that offers free food, clothing and homeware, a community garden, and peer support services. The funding received will help to fund the charity’s operational costs for another year and enable the continuation of this well-established and much needed community asset.

Home-grown cultures: the Ruahine Kindergarten Association have received funding to expand their successful and popular yoghurt making initiative across more of their services in the Ruahine region. Addressing this lunchbox staple is a practical example of how one change can result in several sustainability benefits: thousands of plastic yoghurt pots are no longer going to landfill, families feel more supported with the cost of living, and healthier and less wasteful food habits are encouraged.

Biodiversity

More traps please: the Manawatū River Catchments Collective opened a ‘Trapping library’ in 2025 to incentivise trapping and regional pest management. Demand has been so high that funding is needed to expand the library and the number of devices available for loan.

Pest control expansion in Horowhenua: Te Rōpū Taiao o Ngāti Whakatere Trust have been busy culling pests on farmland within their rohe and will use this funding to expand their activities into more farmland and bush areas. This community-led action helps to strengthen ecosystem resilience and creates opportunities for kaumātua, rangatahi and whānua to engage in hands-on environmental care.

Seaside eco-sourcing: Wildlife Foxton Trust will use their funding to move out of one of their volunteer’s garden’s and into their own native plant nursery behind the trust’s headquarters. This will enable the cultivation of native plants more suited to the local dunes, wetlands and estuary environments and will therefore have greater success in eco-system restoration.

Keebles Bush: the Keeble Memorial Forest Trust have received funding to continue their extraordinary work restoring native forest biodiversity on land surrounding the Keeble’s Bush reserve – the Manawatū’s best lowland forest remnant. Removing invasive species from the Mungatungaroa Stream’s margins and flood zones will allow more native vegetation to develop which will in time, improve local and downstream aquatic ecosystems.

Deer management: the Pohangina Catchment Care Group have been assisting landowners in the management of the feral deer population and will use this funding to train and licence hunters according to venison export requirements. These hunters can then be on call to local farmers as necessary, and the management of pest species will further complement existing work being carried out by DOC in the neighbouring Ruahine Forest Park.

Fencing, planting and pest control: the Nguturoa Catchment Group have received funding to continue freshwater and biodiversity enhancement works along sections of three streams in collaboration with landowners. The group will also continue pest control measures in the wider catchment, with a particular focus on humane trapping of feral cats.

Climate Action

A living learning environment: the He Puna Waiora ki Otāuru project uses the Otāuru stream to teach young people contemporary environmental science, environmental leadership and the importance of local climate resilience. The funding received will be used to purchase the core environmental monitoring and learning resources to deliver He Puna Waiora safely and effectively.

Revitalising the Te Pehu and Moutoa wetlands: the Rangitāne o Manawatū Cultural Trust have received funding to restore their culturally significant wetlands for the benefit of cultural connection and climate adaptation now, and in the future. Restoration will be iwi-led and achieved through a variety of measures including pest management, ecosystem assessment and monitoring, and native planting.

A climate action niche: the Religious Diversity Centre in Aotearoa NZ Trust have received funding to print more copies of the ‘E tū te mana o tea o: Building a Climate of Hope faith and action guide’. This resource fills an important niche within climate action literature as it is aimed at fostering a climate of hope and action amongst people of faith in Aotearoa New Zealand. The printing of hard copies is important for many in our communities as it improves accessibility and inclusivity for an often inaccessible and exclusive topic.

Student-led Green Week: students from Horowhenua College developed and led on Green Week 2025 which involved schools within the Manawatū river catchment area with the purpose of engaging students with environmental issues in a fun way. The funding received will allow the expansion of Green Week 2026 into more schools which this year is bingo themed. Students can win points for their schools, additional prizes will be available for students who demonstrate leadership and initiative, and there will be a celebratory hui at Horowhenua College to conclude the project.

Food Sovereignty

New learning environments: as an Enviroschools participant, Kiwitea School will use their funding to transform an unused paddock on their grounds into a meaningful and beautiful learning environment for their school community, now and in the future.

Similarly, Cloverlea School has received funding to upgrade an underutilised outdoor space for the benefit of learners and the wider community. Both schools will plant native fruit trees for the growing and sharing of kai, other native plants to boost biodiversity, and provide physical connection to the local environment.

Dannevirke Community Garden will use their funding to continue transforming an underused space into a thriving hub for growing and learning about food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and will be a landmark project for community-led kaitiakitanga in Dannevirke. Likewise, Bunnythorpe Community Garden will use their funding to enhance food security and self-sufficiency within the local community.

Community kai sovereignty: Horowhenua Mana Kai is a community led network working to make sure everyone has access to good, nourishing kai. The funding received through the EIF will help to strengthen existing connections between whānau, iwi, growers, food providers, community organisations and businesses so that the community has continued access to healthy kai, and to create opportunities for future social enterprises in this space.

From concept to reality: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Manawatū have received funding to establish a purpose-built area for growing native plants in what will become a fully functioning maara and native nursery. The funding will enable the employment of experienced staff to guide students in the development of practical skills, cultural knowledge, and environmental stewardship.  

The Pacific Home Gardening Initiative: established in 2024 by the Niuvaka Trust, this project has received funding so that it can continue to support families in developing hands-on learning, skills and knowledge of gardening and food sovereignty. This is important in helping to combat the ongoing cost of living crisis, and more positively, provides an opportunity for multigenerational cultural learning and engagement in sustainable gardening practices.