Nine groups received a donation towards their projects and gathered to meet, share their innovation and look for opportunities to work together.

Their work is always inspirational to us, especially when they speak of volunteers changing lives through careful support of people and places.

Across the years we have offered financial and other contributions from our Community Fund, which starts with coins donated by passengers through the terminal. We match the donations, call for applications twice a year, then a panel makes decisions after assessing dozens of applications from groups wanting to bring ideas to life.

The latest recipients are:

• Addington Farm transforming unproductive backyards into a community of gardens and gardeners.
• Dallington Community Garden to fund irrigation fitting, fertilisers and seeds for their expanding community garden.
• Glass Ceiling Arts Collective working on inclusive and accessible youth theatre and preparing for an upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland.
• Hoa Motuhake to help at-risk children take part in community sports programmes.
• Lyttel Sew and Sew to turn more repaired fabric away from landfill and into usable items for community members.
• Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust to support an art show for tenants of social housing.
• Recovered Living NZ Charitable Trust To buy furniture for clients going through live-in treatment programmes for eating disorders.
• Richmond Community Garden For the Riverlution Precious Plastic Project which repurposes unrecyclable plastics into products such as plant pots.
• The Commuting Book To create location-linked digital story experiences about Christchurch around the city.

The recipients are photographed with Chief Executive Justin Watson, who commended and thanked the recipients for all they do for community members.

If you have an idea, a plan, a group or charity which is thinking about the things we think about, you can apply for a future round of Community Fund grants by visiting our Community Fund page.