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What makes the funds special is the focus on working in partnership with communities, to help create outcomes with real value.
Three Community Funds have been established. The first, the Meridian Te Apiti Community Fund, covers Ashhurst and Woodville, the communities connected to our Te Apiti Wind Farm. The fund is to the value of $100,000 over three years, starting in 2006.
Communities from Lake Tekapo down to the Waitaki Dam, including Kurow, can apply for funding from the Meridian Waitaki Community Fund, valued at $1 million over three years from 2006.
The third fund is the Manapouri/Te Anau Community Fund, which covers the communities closest to the Manapouri power station. It is to the value of $500,000 over three years, starting in 2007.
A key feature of the Funds is that decisions are shared with the community through an advisory panel made up of Meridian staff and local community representatives. That means the communities have a greater say in the local activities that Meridian supports.
In setting up each fund we consulted with community members to identify a set of community priorities that guide funding allocations. An advisory panel - made up of equal numbers of community and Meridian representatives - meets three times a year to decide how to distribute the funds, based on those priorities.
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