2021 round now open

Applications close 25 January

Grants up to $5,000 are available to fund reporting linked to the themes below, with preference given to projects that would otherwise be unlikely to attract resourcing.

Media professionals working for online, television, radio, newspapers and magazines, including freelancers for all of the above, are welcome to apply.

Stories will be expected to be published or aired by 1 July 2021.

With the expectation that international travel will likely remain limited during this period, and domestic travel may be curtailed in the event of further COVID-19 lockdowns, any applicants proposing travel as part of their budget must provide details on contingency plans or alternative approaches should travel be limited.

Funding is available under the following themes.

Taonga under threat: $10,000

Some of Aotearoa’s most precious trees are under threat from kauri dieback and myrtle rust. We invite proposals for projects that will explore the human dimensions of taonga such as kauri, pōhutukawa, mānuka and other species at risk from these pathogens: the value and meaning of these trees, how a range of communities (including tangata whenua, NGOs, and scientists) are working to protect them, and hope for the future.

We particularly encourage applications from Māori media.

Funded by Ngā Rākau Taketake – a Bioheritage National Science Challenge programme aimed at restoring and protecting connections between Māori and other New Zealanders with kauri and myrtaceae trees.

Natural hazards don’t have to be disastrous: $5,000

Living in New Zealand, natural hazards come with the territory – but that doesn’t mean disasters have to. Instead, disasters are linked to decisions about where people live and work, the buildings they are in, and the infrastructure that connects them. We welcome projects related to insurance, business, science, economic and property looking at how New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards is being shaped (or not).

Funded by EQC. EQC is on a mission to reduce the impact of natural disaster on people and property.