Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund 2026-2027 Round One awards
At a meeting held on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, four local community sports clubs were awarded funding from the Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund for the 2026/2027 Round One.
The Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund is designed to ease the financial burden of travel for rural junior teams aged 5-18 years, ensuring they can participate in regular sports competitions. Administered on behalf of Sport NZ by 35 eligible Territorial Authorities nationwide, including Grey District Council, the fund plays a key role in helping rural youth engage in sport.
This round saw a strong response from our community, with four applications submitted for a portion of the $5,100 available funding. To be eligible, applicants needed to meet the guidelines outlined by Sport NZ for rural travel funding.
Eligibility criteria:
Eligible Teams: Applications can be made by rural sport club teams and rural school club teams within the Grey District for children aged 5-18. The funding is intended to assist with transport costs to enable participation in local sporting events and competitions.
Eligible Travel: A rural school club team must be involved in a regular local sports competition outside of school hours to qualify for funding (excluding inter-school or intra-school competitions). Similarly, rural sports club teams must be part of organised, regular competitions through club membership outside of school time.
While the number of applicants was slightly lower than in previous years, the Council is pleased to support those awarded funding and believes this investment will contribute positively to our community. We look forward to following the progress of the funded teams and seeing the positive outcomes of this support.
The following clubs and schools received funding:
| Cobden Kohinoor Rugby League Club | $2,000 |
| Marist Rugby Club | $800 |
| Greymouth Junior Athletics Club | $1,300 |
| Greymouth Hockey Club | $1,000 |
This funding continues to support the development and growth of youth sports in our district, helping to remove barriers and create opportunities for all.
Round Two for 2026-2027 will open in approximately Feb 2027, with a total of $4,400 to be distributed.
