Tourism-funded $85k boost for environmental projects
Love Queenstown and Love Wānaka Community Funds are distributing a combined $85k to a dozen local organisations working to protect and regenerate the natural environment.
Funded by donations from local businesses, industry partners, and visitors, these grants have been allocated to projects across the Whakatipu and Upper Clutha regions.
The grants will enable a mix of native habitat restoration, biodiversity monitoring, predator control, waste reduction, wetland protection, and community engagement projects.
The recipients are Mana Tāhuna Charitable Trust, Te Kākano Aotearoa, Planetary Accounting Network, Plastic Free Wānaka, WAI Wānaka, Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust, Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Skies, Upper Clutha Tracks Trust, Whakatipu Reforestation Trust,
Whakatipu Wildlife Trust, and Friends of Bullock Creek.
Beyond these grants, a further $19,000 has been invested into the Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown endowment funds, creating long-term financial resilience to support environmental restoration for decades to come.
Community Fund Coordinator Ash Bickley says this approach reflects a powerful, collective effort: “These grants are about more than funding – they represent a community working together for the future of our rohe / region. Businesses, visitors, and locals are helping to fuel these
everyday projects, while also building systems and partnerships that will deliver long-term impact.
"That’s what makes this mahi so powerful.
Jennifer Belmont, CEO of the 45 South Community Foundation, which manages the endowment funds, says the initiatives are not just supported this year, but for generations to come.
"Today’s grants make a real difference on the ground, and the long-term investment means that difference will last”
Looking to the future, these initiatives are poised to amplify their impact - expanding funding rounds, welcoming greater support from local businesses and visitors, and championing new projects that respond to environmental challenges across the district.
To learn more about the projects or support future funding rounds, visit lovewanaka.co.nz or loveqt.co.nz.
