Supporting communities  |  13 Jun 2019

A community-initiated funding agreement approved by Christchurch City Council will ensure there is enough money to get Akaroa’s new community health centre opened.

Under the agreement the Council will apply a targeted rate for four years in order to provide a grant of up to $1.3 million to the Akaroa Community Health Trust (ACHT).  

The grant will enable ACHT to honour its commitment to provide $2.5 million toward the construction and start-up costs of Akaroa’s new integrated family health centre.

An artist's impression of the new Akaroa Health Centre.

An artist's impression of the new Akaroa Health Centre.

The targeted rate will apply to all properties within the Akaroa subdivision of the Banks Peninsula ward and will mean that affected ratepayers will have to pay an annual fixed charge of about $130.20 on top of their normal rates from 1 July 2019.

The amount of the annual fixed charge could lessen over the four-year period as ACHT continues with its fundraising efforts.

“We consulted with the Akaroa and Bays community about whether they were prepared to support this community funding contribution for health services and facilities for their community and we got clear feedback from them that yes they were,’’ says Cr Raf Manji, who chaired the Hearings Panel appointed to consider the public submissions.

“This is an innovative solution to a community funding challenge. It is the first time we have used a targeted rate to help fund a community-initiated project but it is a mechanism we could use more often to assist communities in achieving their specific goals,’’ Cr Manji says.

ACHT Chairman Gordon Boxall says the trustees are delighted by the end result.

“We’re thankful to the Council for giving us the platform to hear the views of our community, and with today’s announcement acting as a vehicle to raise funds.

“It shows that people really care about our new Akaroa Health Centre. The rate levy provides us with a backstop so we can meet our obligations to repay CDHB on time for the aged care component. We will continue to fundraise with a view to reducing the levy by as much as possible,’’ Mr Boxall says.