Te Awarua o Porirua Community Environment Fund

Te Awarua o Porirua Community Environment Fund is brought to you by Te Wai Ora o Parirua – Porirua Harbour Accord – a partnership between Greater Wellington, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Porirua City Council, Wellington City Council and Tiaki Wai. Together, we are working to restore the health and mauri of Te Awarua o Porirua harbour and catchment.

Te Awarua o Porirua Community Environment Fund is here to help community groups, schools and rōpū kaitiaki bring local environmental projects to life. Whether you're planting native trees, restoring streams and wetlands, protecting biodiversity, or getting your community involved in caring for the streams and harbour, we'd love to hear from you.

Funding is available for projects across the Te Awarua o Porirua Harbour catchment and surrounding area, from Johnsonville to Pukerua Bay and inland from Pāuatahanui.

Everything we do is guided by manaakitanga – showing care, respect and generosity towards people and the environment. We encourage everyone applying to the fund to demonstrate this key value in all aspects of their mahi.

Key dates

Applications open – 9am Saturday 1 August 2026

Applications close  – Sunday 13 September 2026

Who can apply?

Volunteer community groups, schools and rōpū kaitiaki can apply for funding to support environmental projects that are: 

• Located within Te Awarua o Porirua area (shown in the map below) 
• On public land, for example: council reserves, Department of Conservation land and some stream margins 
• On communally-owned Māori land
• By groups that uphold manaakitanga.

What can funding be used for?

Groups can apply for up to $10,000 each year for up to two years, to fund: 

• Native plants, plant protectors and fertiliser 
• Materials to grow your own native plants 
• Tools  ie. gardening tools, litter pickers
• Pest plant control 
• Pest animal control 
• Refreshments for working bees (up to $250 per year)
• Innovative projects that support te ao Māori, mātauranga Māori and storytelling initiatives.

This fund is not for paying salaries or wages of people involved in the project. 

What would a successful application look like?

Priority will be given to projects that: 

• Align with the vision and objectives of Te Wai Ora o Parirua – Porirua Harbour Accord (PDF 5.6 MB) .
• Enhance and restore the health of local ecosystems including native flora and fauna (e.g., providing habitats for key species). 
• Reduce threats such as sedimentation and pollutants to the harbour and surrounding ecosystems. This could include planting to stop sediment washing into streams and the harbour and managing pest plants and animals. 
• Involve the wider community and raise awareness of environmental issues facing the harbour and catchment.
• Are achievable and have a plan to implement and maintain the project once it’s complete. 
• Plan to manage changing conditions resulting from climate change.

How to apply

Complete the application form through the Application Portal. 

Apply now

1. Create an account OR log into the Application Portal (you’ll need to verify your email to create a new account) 
2. Select ‘Community Environment Fund’ 
3. Select ‘Te Awarua o Porirua’ 
4. Complete the Application Form and submit.

You don’t need to complete everything in one go. You can click the Save button at the bottom of the page at any time to save your progress and come back to finish it later. 

Applications will be judged on the quality of the project, rather than how well you fill in the application form. You don’t need to include a lot of information as you will receive an opportunity to tell us about your project in person. Site visits will be completed for successful applications.

If your application is successful, you may need to complete a short restoration plan (we’ll send you some details) before receiving funds.  

Each year you will need to provide a brief annual report (we have a template for you to fill in) and we may also organise a site visit with you so you can show us how the allocated funds were spent and what was achieved.  

Help to plan your project

For more information, or to discuss your application, email us at Community.Environment.Fund@gw.govt.nz, or call the Greater Wellington contact centre on 0800 496 734.