Auckland Council has launched Te Ara Urutau – Climate and Emergency Ready Fund, investing more than $1 million to empower community organisations across Tāmaki Makaurau to take practical action on climate change and strengthen local emergency preparedness. The fund aims to help communities reduce emissions, improve resilience and adapt to growing climate impacts.
This new initiative brings both existing and new climate-related grants into a single, streamlined funding process, making it easier and more accessible for groups to apply. Councillor Richard Hills noted that community organisations had asked for a simplified system, and the council designed this fund in response to that feedback.
The fund supports community groups at all stages of their climate action journey, encouraging local projects that cut emissions, enhance emergency readiness and strengthen resilience. Hills emphasised that accessible funding enables organisations and volunteers to turn good ideas into real solutions, ultimately helping keep people and places safe from climate disruption.
Through one application, groups can seek support from multiple funding streams, including emergency readiness, emissions reduction and climate adaptation planning and implementation. Each stream offers varying levels of financial support to help communities tackle challenges such as natural disasters, extreme weather, carbon emissions, flooding and sea-level rise.
Applications are open to a wide range of organisations committed to community wellbeing. Eligible applicants include not-for-profits, charities, voluntary groups, Māori organisations, neighbourhood associations, schools leading community projects and business improvement districts or social enterprises delivering public-benefit initiatives.
