Cost of living: Te Awamutu charities and non-profit groups facing tough times

Te Awamutu’s women’s Lions chapter, Rosetown Lions, prides itself on a can-do attitude and working in the community to support other organisations.

That support comes in the form of donations from the funds raised throughout the year.

This year, the club shared about $15,000 with 15 organisations, presenting the grants to representatives of the groups last week.

Club secretary Jenny Elers said it was the first year they had the extra funds available from running Te Awamutu’s popular Christmas Sleigh Raffle, which had been handed over to the club by Pakeke Lions after they ran it for 35 years.

Elers said it was a pleasure to be custodians of the raffle, which was so well supported by business and the public.

The club also runs raffles throughout the year, such as at the annual Te Awamutu Craft Fair. Last week members could be found selling tickets for their Mother’s Day Raffle.

Rosetown Lions is also known for its catering, and this forms another major part of their annual fundraising income.

Every year they help man Te Awamutu Lions Club’s Kai Kart at National Fieldays – a huge annual task which is the Te Awamutu club’s major fundraiser, for which Rosetown Lions receive a donation.

A dozen recipient organisations sent representatives to the presentation evening and each representative gave a short talk about the work their organisation does in the community.

It was evident that these charitable and volunteer groups are finding it tough in the current environment.

The two recurring themes were reductions or complete retractions of previous public funding and the difficulty attracting volunteers to continue working in the community.

Te Awamutu Wheelchair Wagon Trust and Te Awamutu Community Health Shuttle faced huge expenses for fuel, maintenance, compliance and vehicle replacement.

Groups working with youth, including Te Awamutu Truancy Services, Kainga Aroha Summer Camp, Waipā King Country Life Education Trust and Blue Light, noted times were difficult for Kiwi families and parents and caregivers were having to make unenviable decisions.

Te Awamutu i-Site Visitor Centre was facing uncertain funding from the council and, as a result, had lost professional staff through attrition and redundancy.

Its future was relying on part-time staff, volunteers and increased revenue from retail and other sources.

Te Awamutu’s two theatre companies, Te Awamutu Little Theatre and Te Awamutu Light Operatic Society, faced increased costs for technical equipment and compliance.

They were optimistic about the support they received from the community for their productions and were also working hard to encourage youth performance but noted it was also important to diversify and make extra income where possible by hiring out their facilities.

The 2024 Rosetown Lions grant recipients are:

Blue Light; Citizens Advice Bureau Te Awamutu; CommSafe; Kainga Aroha Summer Camp; New Zealand Suicide Prevention Trust; Te Awamutu Community Cadets; Te Awamutu Community Health Shuttle; Te Awamutu i-Site Visitor Centre; Te Awamutu Light Operatic Society; Te Awamutu Little Theatre; Te Awamutu New Zealand Riding for the Disabled; Te Awamutu Truancy Services; Te Awamutu Wheelchair Wagon Trust; Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter; Waipā King Country Life Education Trust.

Dean Taylor is a community journalist with more than 35 years of experience and is editor of the Te Awamutu Courier and Waikato Herald.