COVID-19 Response

The Government has announced a $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

The package supports services that:

• Ensure people have access to the food and other goods they need to survive
• Provide a place for people to live
• Support disabled people to maintain critical wellbeing
• Keep families safe from harm and offer crisis support

Up to $16 million is to bolster existing essential social sector services delivered by NGOs so they can continue to support individuals, families, whānau and communities at risk through uncertain circumstances and respond to increased demand. 

Up to $6 million is funding for disability Community Participation providers to put in place appropriate health mitigations for the current group orientated services and provide support for disabled people in lock-down. 

Up to $4.8 million to provide community grants or fund innovative community-led solutions to support local resilience.

For the health and safety of our staff, trustees and community from today Monday 23 March 2020 our premises at 62 Don Street, Invercargill will be closed. All meetings and events involving staff, applicants, grantees and stakeholders are therefore cancelled (including upcoming district visits, funding forums and other community meetings hosted at our offices).

However, we are continuing to run business as usual carrying out all aspects of our work and supporting grant recipients, applicants, partners and our community as we all navigate these unprecedented times – it’s just we are now doing this from home and through a virtual means.

We are continuing to accept applications, make decisions, process accountability reports and make payments. 

Connecting with us

We are encouraging you to keep connecting and engaging with us and there are several ways you can continue to do this:

• by phone 0800 500 185
• by general email info@communitytrustsouth.nz
• by specific staff emails which are available on our website
• via ZOOM just call us on 0800 500 185 or email info@communitytrustsouth.nz to arrange.

We would like to reassure all recipients and community groups involved with our funding, either currently or for future applications, that we have plans in place to enable us to continue our operations uninterrupted in light of COVID-19. We are continuing to accept applications, make decisions, process accountability reports and make payments. We will however be changing how we operate to help keep everyone safe and healthy and will be providing ongoing updates on our website and Facebook page. 

Connecting with us

For now, we have cancelled all district visits, events and meetings hosted at our offices until further notice. However, if you need to meet with us we ask that you consider doing this by phone, email or ZOOM and you can call us on 0800 500 185 or email info@communitytrustsouth.nz to arrange.

While at this stage our office remains open, we are requesting that prior to visiting us you call 0800 500 185 in advance and confirm: 

• You have not returned from overseas or had close contact with anyone who has travelled overseas within the last month even if you are not exhibiting any symptoms, or 
• You have not had contact with a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and that you don’t feel unwell, or have flu-like symptoms. 

If meeting with us in person, please also understand that we will use appropriate social distancing e.g. keeping an appropriate distance and not shaking hands. 

In response to COVID-19 the Government announced a $12.1 billion Economic Response Package. Part of this includes two subsidies a Wage subsidy and Leave Payment available to all New Zealand employers, contractors, sole traders, self-employed people, registered charities and incorporated societies.

The Government has announced a $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

The package supports services that:

• Ensure people have access to the food and other goods they need to survive
• Provide a place for people to live
• Support disabled people to maintain critical wellbeing
• Keep families safe from harm and offer crisis support

The $4.8m fund supports community efforts on the ground and recognises there are community groups and individuals doing critical work in the fight against COVID-19.

What is the Grant Fund for and who can apply?

• Available to community based groups that are or will be providing essential community-led solutions to support local resilience and community wellbeing during the period of Covid-19 - Alert Level 4.
• Grants will be one-off with priority being given to requests that support Maori, Pacific, older people, people with disabilities, people with current significant health considerations, migrant communities and people who are rurally isolated.
• The fund has an initial cap of up to $5,000.00 (excluding GST) per request.
• Available from 26 March 2020 and will remain available until the fund has been fully allocated

https://covid19.govt.nz/

Keep up to date with the Ministry of Health's latest information on Covid-19.

Government has committed $56 million to support Māori communities and businesses feeling the economic impacts of Covid-19:

• $30 million for targeted health funding for Māori
• $10 million is for whanau Māori community outreach 
• $15 million will go towards Whānau Ora to reach into Māori communities, and 
• $1 million to provide Māori businesses with advice and planning tools to tackle the economic impact of Covid-19.

Entities and their workers carrying out the services identified in the link are considered by Government as essential. This also includes entities in their supply chains (e.g. those providing IT and data infrastructure to an entity providing an essential service).

Creative New Zealand's $16m Covid19 response is its first phase of funding to help buffer and support the arts community. Phase two will provide support beyond June 2020.

Phase One funding opens - 14 April through to 30 June 2020

Emergency Response Package components:

• Resilience Grants - for eligible artists, arts practitioners, arts groups and arts organisations (non-investment clients) who are suffering, to help them recover, maintain and develop their practice in a completely changed environment. There are two opportunities: 

  • Arts Continuity Grant (up to $50k) - supporting the creation of new work or the reframing of an existing project in light of COVID-19, including creative and professional development, promotion and distribution (eg, supporting new ways of working).

  • Emergency Relief Grant (up to $10k per individual) - for eligible artists and arts practitioners, collectives and groups who may be experiencing devastating loss of income and opportunity and an uncertain future, and who have applied for the announced government support. More details to come – applications will need to include details of the impact of COVID-19 on their arts practice.    

Creative New Zealand is planning quick application turnarounds and rolling weekly decisions for both the Arts Continuity Grant and Emergency Relief Grant, but will monitor this commitment and the rapidly changing environment.

• Short-term Relief for Investment Clients – open to existing Creative NZ investment clients and on top of existing funding, with priority given to those materially negatively impacted by COVID-19, to help them stabilise their businesses and remain viable. Investment clients are the 83 multi-year funded arts organisations in the Toi Tōtara Haemata and Toi Uru Kahikatea investment programmes, employing between them many artists and arts practitioners (including technical specialists), and who may have had to cancel or defer programmes and carry the impact of incurred costs without the anticipated revenue.
  
  Application assessment will take up to 20 working days, beginning as soon as the application is received. More details to come – applications will need to include a re-forecasted programme and budget.  

Charities Services have compiled some really useful information in response to concerns they have been hearing about and questions they have been asked e.g. what to do if you have to cancel or postpone your AGM or what to do if you need an extension to file your annual return. 

Please also ensure your primary contact details are up to date on the Charities Register.

To get guidance on these and other concerns visit http://www.charities.govt.nz/news-and-events/blog/information-on-covid-19-for-registered-charities/

They have also advised the following: 

• Staff from Charities Services remain contactable - if you have questions email info@charities.govt.nz – but it may take a little longer for them to get back to you.
• They won’t have access to any post that has been sent, so contact them via email - annual returns, cheques and responses to questions that have been posted to them will have to wait until they return to the office.
• Registered charities have 6 months after the end of their financial year to submit annual returns and financial statements/performance reports. They won’t be sending their regular reminder emails about annual returns being due - so if you are unsure when your annual return is due, you can find this out by searching for your charity on the online charities register, and selecting the “Annual Returns” tab.

Visit https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/2020/covid-19/supporting-providers-through-covid-19.html to find out more.

Volunteering at Alert Levels 3 & 4 guidance - https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Volunteering-Central_QLDC-COVID-19-Volunteer-Guidelines_Public_version-2.pdf

Volunteering resources Pandemic/Disasters - https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/available-resources/disasters/

Understandably many people will be feeling increasing amounts of stress and anxiety as COVID-19 changes our daily lives. So its really important we look after our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others - as together we will get through this.

Mental Health Foundation

You can free call or text 1737 at any time to speak with a trained counsellor – it’s free and confidential.

Or visit http://www.mentalhealthorg.nz/get-help/covid-19/for top tips to get through.

Loss and Grief Centre

Are offering an Emotional Wellbeing phone service available to anyone - contact them on 027 443 8788 or email lossandgriefcentre@gmail.com

NZ Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience

Coping during coronavirus

Age Concern - 03 218 6351

Citizens Advice Bureau:

• CAB 0800 367 222, email or live chat 
• Invercargill - 03 218 6648 or 03 218 2217 email invercargill@cab.org.nz or to live chat just visit the website 
• Queenstown - 03 442 6799 or email or to live chat just visit the website 

Multicultural Council - 03 214 9296

Parent to Parent - 03 214 3179

Stroke Foundation - 03 214 5439

Epilepsy NZ - 03 218 3089

ABLE - 03 218 2100

Head Injury Society - 027 424881

Time Out Carers - 03 214 9999

Youthline - 03 211 0031

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