Speech to the New Zealand Lotteries Commission ‘Big Celebration’ Event
It is a pleasure to be here tonight to celebrate a bumper year for the Lotteries Commission which has resulted in a record transfer of funding to the Lottery Grants Board.
Over the last financial year, mainly due to two large jackpots runs, the Commission has achieved a record profit. I am aware that two ‘must be won' draws is a very unusual event which is not likely to be repeated in the next decade.
The Lottery Grants Board announced in July that over $163 million would be channelled back into the community and to the statutory bodies who serve the creative arts, New Zealand film, and community sports and recreation.
But now, thanks to the second record jackpot right at the end of the financial year, a further $14m can be distributed to the community through increased grants to all Lottery community committees and the statutory agencies.
It is important, however, to sound a note of caution. Profits are forecast to drop over the next two years and allocations may revert to earlier and considerably lower levels.
The Lottery Grants Board is mindful of this situation and it has taken steps to ensure that it has sufficient reserves to sustain its allocations. In simple terms, this means the Board will be able to ride the troughs and make sure that community groups and the statutory agencies continue to receive financial support.
A Lottery grant can be the difference between an organisation wanting to make something happen in their community and being able to make it happen. It means that ordinary New Zealanders can do amazing things for their communities.
Last year, almost 5,500 community groups and individuals received funding from Lottery committees to help build strong, sustainable communities in New Zealand.
Lottery grants provide vital backing for a range of social, community, arts, heritage, sports, recreation, and health research activities which have a positive impact on our communities.
For example, the community facilities committee helps to fund the construction and improvement of facilities that promote the involvement of people in their community.
In its last funding round, the national Community Facilities Committee granted $500,000 to the Methven District Heritage Association. The grant will be used to renovate and extend the community hall, which is a real community hub in the area, used by 49 groups ranging from the Red Cross Blood bank to a local line dancing group.
The committee also granted $646,000 to the Whitianga Community Services Trust to build a new community house. This new building is badly needed, with services currently housed in a run down 110-year-old building that has become too small for the community's demands.
The Lottery Grants Board also supports Creative New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission, and Sport and Recreation New Zealand. Over the next year these organisations will receive nearly $65 million plus one-off supplementary allocations made possible by the unusual jackpot runs.
Lottery money helps the New Zealand Film Commission support projects that are filmed here in New Zealand and recognised on the world stage.
The New Zealand short film "The Six Dollar Fifty Man" recently won Cannes Special Distinction award, an extremely high honour. Lottery funding has directly contributed to this international success.
Creative New Zealand supports a wide range of activities ranging from grassroots projects, with about 2,500 local arts activities, through to about 500 grants to professional artists and organisations.
They also give great support to events such as the International Festival of the Arts here in Wellington by commissioning and presenting New Zealand works as a core part of the Festival.
Sports and Recreation New Zealand, SPARC, are helping to foster an environment of participation that will give a sporting chance to the athletes of tomorrow.
Amongst other activities, SPARC funds sports trusts around New Zealand that are doing a great job promoting sports participation on-the-field.
For example, the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust teaches active sports skills and coordination in 16 sports to primary school students in up to 28 schools in North Canterbury.
Their coaches teach general skills, including netball, basketball, rugby league, hockey, softball, cricket, rugby and athletics. Schools can book several modules a year in the sports they would like covered. This way, Kiwi kids get to experience the fun of sports and build their confidence and skills.
It is a privilege to be able to support such a broad spectrum of activities and I am very pleased that the Lottery Grants Board can continue to ensure all Kiwis benefit from lottery profits over the next year.
Over the next year, around $41m will be distributed by the Board's national and regional community committees and $58m by the national, specialist and facilities committees.
And thanks to the second record jackpot, a further $14m is now being allocated to the statutory agencies and the Board's funding committees.
In closing I'd like to congratulate the Lotteries Commission once again on a very successful year, and to thank you for helping ordinary New Zealanders to achieve amazing things in their communities.