Waiheke Local Board awards $60,467 in grants for community projects and stoat control
Last Updated on August 26, 2026
The Waiheke Local Board has awarded $60,467 to local community groups through its Local and Environmental Grant programme, funding that will go toward creative experiences for island families and the ongoing effort to eradicate stoats from Waiheke.
According to Auckland Council‘s Hauraki Gulf Islands team, the funding round reflects two strands of local priority: supporting cultural and creative activities for residents, and backing the island’s long-running conservation push against invasive predators. The exact breakdown of how the $60,467 has been split between individual groups and projects was not detailed in the council’s announcement.
What the funding supports
Waiheke has positioned itself as one of the more active fronts in Auckland’s predator-free efforts, with stoats identified as a particular threat to the island’s native wildlife. Local board grants of this kind are typically used to fund on-the-ground trapping and monitoring work carried out by community volunteers and environmental groups, alongside events, workshops and storytelling projects that engage residents, especially families, with the island’s culture and environment.
The council’s release frames the grants as helping community groups “bring stories to life” for Waiheke families while continuing the practical work of predator eradication, though specific recipient organisations and the size of individual grants were not listed in the material provided.
Local board’s grant rounds
Local boards across Auckland run regular contestable grant rounds, distributing ratepayer funding to community groups, environmental initiatives and events that serve their local area. The Waiheke Local Board’s Local and Environmental Grant is one such avenue, open to groups delivering projects that benefit the island’s residents or its natural environment.
For Waiheke residents, the funding represents another round of local board support flowing directly into community-led work, whether that is trapping lines run by volunteers or events designed to engage island children and families in local stories and culture. Further detail on the specific projects funded, and how groups can apply in future rounds, is expected to be available through the local board’s usual grant channels.
Source: Auckland Council.
Related on Auckland Newsroom: Devonport-Takapuna Local Board awards $115,546.96 in grants to local groups
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