Regional Emergency Services Fund

The Regional Emergency Services Fund is a centralised approach to funding for emergency services across the Waikato region. It enables organisations to access funding for operating costs through one central process endorsed by Councils in the Waikato region. The regional approach provides opportunity for councils across the region to work together and use their collective knowledge and resources to support key emergency services. 

The fund was established in 2016 in order to:

• Ensure core emergency service providers can be developed or sustained in this region to contribute to the region’s quality of life; attractiveness to residents and visitors; and economy
• Provide more equitable funding arrangements for entities that provide regional benefits
• Provide efficiencies to emergency service providers by removing the need for multiple funding applications to several local authorities.
• Provide certainty of services to territorial authorities and their communities honouring current promised levels of service.

The following organisations are currently funded for the 2021-2024 period:

• Coastguard
• Surf Life Saving
• Philips Search and Rescue Trust
• Coromandel Rescue Helicopter Trust
• Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR)

Funding agreements are reviewed on a three yearly basis, with the option of reviewing the fund and consideration of potential services at the next long-term plan (2024-2034).

The beneficiary organisation must:

1. Provide emergency services to residents of and visitors to the Waikato region; and
2. Be a charitable organisation performing emergency services in the Waikato region; and
3. Have had a form of existing funding arrangement with territorial authorities within the Waikato region; and
4. Be a registered charity under the Charities Act 2005.

1. Contracts for services with individual units/clubs/areas (inclusive of purchase of life saving equipment, training costs, volunteer costs etc).
2. Operational costs of individual units/clubs/areas.
3. Operational costs incurred by the umbrella organisation in supporting individual units/clubs/areas.
4. Costs associated with coordination of regional emergency services across the region (such as rescue emergency/lifesaving operations).

1. Capital and maintenance expenditure (including the purchase of vehicles but excludes such costs as the purchase of life saving equipment); and
2. The cost of overhead of the umbrella organisation (excluding costs incurred in supporting the individual units/clubs/areas); and
3. Any part of facilities or services that the organisation provides outside of the Waikato region; and
4. The cost of any completed project cost or retrospective costs; and
5. The cost of any loan repayments or the use of the grant monies for investment of any kind.