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Mangahao Fund: Details

Mo ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers

The Mangahao Fund supports the clubs and paddlers of Aotearoa to protect river access and flows, build skills and safety, and grow the sport. To apply, email your full application to mangahaofund@whitewater.nz.

Funding rounds close on 31 March and 30 September each year. The fund for each round is $10,000 (so $20,000 per annum), and decisions are confirmed within three weeks of the closing date.

Where the Fund comes from

King Country Energy, Trustpower and Whitewater NZ (“WWNZ”) agreed that funds would be paid to WWNZ until regular releases are reinstated on the Mangahao awa or the resource consent expires. A committee of representatives from WWNZ and the clubs of the lower North Island manages the money.

A replacement gate has been built and is expected to be installed in autumn 2027, which would allow releases on the Mangahao to resume, which is eagerly awaited to restore the recreational value of this section to the whitewater community.

In the interim, the Fund Committee has agreed that:

  • A minimum of 50% of all funds received is set aside as a fighting fund to conserve and enhance recreational river access and flows for paddling.
  • Up to 50% of the funds received per annum may be made available for projects and applications that meet the criteria.
  • One round of funding applications is reviewed per round.

Qualifying criteria

  • Funding goes only to incorporated societies or registered charities, such as incorporated clubs or Whitewater NZ member clubs. It is not provided to individuals or businesses.
  • Preference is given to member organisations of Whitewater NZ.
  • Preference is given to projects in the lower North Island.
  • Funding must be proportional to the benefit delivered to the paddlesports community, particularly in the lower North Island.
  • Preference is given to projects that use volunteer and not-for-profit resources, and do not disproportionately benefit commercial organisations.

Principal areas for funding

  • Maintaining and improving paddling access to rivers and flows.
  • Funding disputes and challenges that threaten the above.
  • Promoting and supporting Mangahao releases.
  • Projects that enhance and promote paddling participation.
  • Projects that share river safety and rescue information with the paddling community.
  • Nationally significant projects that benefit the wider paddling community of Aotearoa.

How to apply

The committee reviews each application against the criteria and decides democratically what and how much to fund. The fund cannot grant more than is allocated, and rounds are contested, so apply only where there is real value against the principal areas above.

Talk your idea through with a committee representative before you write your application. They will be across the other applications and can help with the process and with shaping a good outcome. For formal questions, email mangahaofund@whitewater.nz.

Committee representatives

The committee is chaired by an independent Chair (Nigel Parry), appointed by the committee. WWNZ may appoint up to two committee members, but given the excellent work of the present committee to date overseeing the Mangahao Fund, we do not currently see the need for specific representation.

Your application must include

A. Project name.

B. Your primary contact details: name, email, phone numbers, physical address.

C. Details of the organisation applying, including current incorporated society number and registered charity number (if applicable).

D. A description of the project, including:

  • Who is involved in managing it.
  • Who will benefit from it, directly and indirectly.
  • What problem, issue or need of the paddling community the project addresses.
  • When the project will commence and finish.
  • How the impact of the project will be measured and reported to the committee.

E. A breakdown of the full project budget, clearly identifying which costs (if not all) you are seeking funding for. If partial funding is sought, detail how the remaining costs will be funded and when.

F. All other funding you have applied for, or are considering applying for, for this project or any version of it, successful or not. (Attachments allowed.)

G. Any external funding your organisation has received in the last five years (source, purpose and amount).

H. A copy of a bank statement or equivalent as proof of the account to pay into.

I. Acknowledgement that the Mangahao Fund committee has absolute discretion to accept or decline an application, with no right of review or appeal.

J. Acknowledgement that an application summary may be published to WWNZ members.

K. A copy of the meeting minutes where this application was approved by your organisation.

L. An approved signature confirming all information provided is true and correct.

The Fund in action

Since 2022 the Mangahao Fund has put more than $60,000 into clubs and community projects the length of the country: river rescue and safety training, new gear, access roads, whitewater park improvements, and defending river access and flows.

→ See everything the Fund has supported

Mo ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers