The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board intends to withdraw ALL funding to the Devonport Peninsula Trust – after a successful relationship spanning more than 20 years. If this happens, the DPT’s huge range of community events, activities, and outreach programmes would be cancelled, and the Trust’s very existence will be in jeopardy.

We, the undersigned, ask the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board to reconsider, and reinstate the available $98,000 funding to the Devonport Peninsula Trust.

WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS

The Devonport Peninsula Trust (DPT) supports and/or runs a huge range of community events, activities, and outreach programmes that have benefitted residents young and old, and across every social, economic, and cultural demographic for more than 20 years.

Here are just a few, for starters: Bayswater Halloween trail, Midwinter swim, Tamariki Play groups, Sandy Sundays, the Santa Parade, Matariki Hikoi. And there are many, many more.

It is easy to overlook the incredible work that the DPT achieves. This a not-for-profit organization with ONLY three part-time employees that are passionate about delivering free accessible events for the community, as well as supporting various community organisations. They attend all the events and work well in excess of their contracted hours. 

The previous councils have supported the DPT for the last 20 years and understood the important work it undertook for the community. The current Devonport Takapuna local board has; without sufficient notice (just 8 days) decided to remove ALL funding for the DPT – and reallocate it to a new ‘community activator’, which will be a sole charge role replacing 3 part-time staff and 6 committed volunteer trustees. The local board knew this would mean that the DPT would not be able to operate, and would not have sufficient time to look for alternative funding sources. 

Help us to have the local board (Toni Van Tonder, Terence Harpur, Peter Allen, Melissa Powell, George Wood, and Gavin Busch) reconsider their decision to re-allocate the $98,000 available in their budget for Devonport community activation and have a meaningful, engaged, open and transparent conversation on how to achieve tthe currently unannounced community goals of the board.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

You can demonstrate your support for continuing to keep our community by providing support and free community events/activations for our Devonport Whanau and Tamariki.

Sign this petition, and share it with friends, family and neighbours
Attend the local board meeting 10am, Tuesday 18 July 2023 (location to be confirmed)
Join our Facebook group – search ‘Save Devonport Trust’ – and invite friends, family & neighbours to join
 

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you have any questions, about the work or want to find out more about the Friends of The Devonport Peninsula Trust please message us through our Facebook group – search ‘Friends of Devonport Trust’.

You can also find out more about the DPT’s amazing work on their website: https://www.dpt.nz/