Clocktower building in Omaru.

OAMARU COMMUNITY FUND.

At Mercury we care about supporting our local communities. Our team is spread throughout Aotearoa, but Oamaru is home to one of our friendly, national contact centres. To help support the community where many of our wonderful people live, work and play, Mercury has created a community fund to give a helping hand to those who care for people, place and our future.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE MERCURY OAMARU COMMUNITY FUND?

We encourage community organisations to apply. We will consider events, projects and initiatives that display:

Manaakitanga – caring for our communities and people, and putting people at the heart of the decision.
Kaitiakitanga – taking up the role of guardian and protector of our environment, for future generations.
Sustainability – improving, growing, learning and adapting in smart ways to make a difference.

RECENTLY FUNDED PROJECTS

Pound Paws Rescue $2,000 towards community desexing programme.
NZ Remembrance Army $500 towards restoration of military headstones.
JOT Waitaki Sustainability Group $1,386 towards costs of Resilient Gardening and Preserving Homegrown Product Day.
Waitaki Multicultural Council $500 towards activation for local primary school on Race Relations Day in March 2025.

FUNDING ROUNDS

There are three funding periods a year:

  1. March: opens 1 March, closes 31 March.
  2. July: opens 1 July, closes 31 July.
  3. November: opens 1 November, closes 30 November.

Applications for each round must be made using the official application form, and be received by the last day of that month.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the following month. Successful applicants may also be posted on Mercury's website, social media pages, and other communications.

CRITERIA

 

Applications must fall within the stipulated criteria to be considered:

  • Applications must showcase a connection with ‘what’s important to us’.
  • Expenses applied for must be incurred within New Zealand, with the exception of items purchased overseas that are not available in New Zealand.
  • All grants must be applied to specific, future-based purposes.
  • There must be no conflict of interest existing between the applicant group and the provider of the goods and services.
  • Your community organisation based within the outlined area on the map (indicated on the application form).
  • If funding is required towards general running costs (power, landline telephone, rates or building insurance) copies of invoices for the previous three months need to be supplied.
  • Applications for existing salary positions must provide a signed employment contract clearly stating the term of the contract, employee’s name and rate of pay, together with a position description.
  • We will not consider applications that request funding for: individuals or anything that is required to be carried-out as part of a government-funded contract.



OTHER INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

 

Other information for applicants:

  • Only one application per community organisation will be accepted per funding round, and eligible organisations are limited to two successful applications per calendar year.
  • An evaluation panel made up of representatives from different teams and in different roles at Mercury considers all applications and decides who receives funding. This panel will change from round to round.
  • Applicants may have their funding approved in full or in part at the sole discretion of Mercury.
  • As a guideline for how much to apply for, each grant usually ranges from around $200 to $2,000.
  • For more information, please email: oamarucommunityfund@mercury.co.nz
Man in yellow jumper dancing and smiling.

MARCH 2025

Our next funding round opens 1 March and closes 31 March 2025.

 

APPLY