Regional Safety and Rescue Services Fund
The Regional Safety and Rescue Services Fund (RSRSF) supports organisations that provide vital safety and rescue services to both local people in our community, and visitors to our region.
Applications have now closed.
The Regional Safety and Rescue Services Fund was introduced following public consultation as part of the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 and provides a centralised approach to funding safety and rescue service providers across the Bay of Plenty. The funding received strong support from the community and is funded by a targeted rate.
Regional Safety and Rescue Service Fund
- Applications open: 5 February to 23 February 2024.
- Funding available: $400,000 per annum
- Funding period: Three years – 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2027
The Regional Safety and Rescue Services Fund (RSRSF) supports organisations that provide vital safety and rescue services to both local people in our community, and visitors to our region.
The fund is open to registered charities that provide rescue services to residents of and visitors to the Bay of Plenty region. Funding is available support operational costs (not Capital) associated with providing rescue services.
For any queries, please contact Graeme Howard or Ben Parker at RSRSF@boprc.govt.nz
Funding recipients in 2022/23 and 2023/24
- Surf Lifesaving NZ (Excluding Tauranga beaches, which are funded by Tauranga City Council)
- Royal New Zealand Coastguard
- Rotorua Mountain Bike Club (First Response Unit, which delivers medical response to all users of the Whakarewarewa Forest).
- Land Search and Rescue
- Youth Search and Rescue
Background
The Regional Safety and Rescue Services Fund is a new, centralised approach to the funding for safety and rescue service providers across the Bay of Plenty. As part of the 2018/19 Annual Plan and the 2021-2031 Long Tem Plan, Bay of Plenty Regional Council consulted on the centralised funding approach and the introduction of a targeted rate and this received strong support from the community.
This centralised funding approach enables organisations to apply for funding for operating costs (not Capital) through one central process endorsed by Councils in the BOP region. The new regional approach provides opportunity for councils across the region to come together collectively and use their knowledge and capability to better support key safety and rescue services with a regional view. Previously RSRS organisations would obtain funding by applying to multiple bodies regionally and nationally, which was inefficient and resulted in key resources being spent on contacting and applying to these bodies for funding that could of actually be spent on service delivery to the community.