Youth Reps for our Funding Committees

Are you a young person keen to help make funding decisions for community projects in your city?

We are looking for a passionate young person* to join the Invercargill City Council's Community Wellbeing Fund Subcommittee as a youth representative. This is a voluntary role for the remainder of the Council term - up to 3 years.

The main role of a fund committee member is to assess community project applications and decide how to allocate funds to viable activities that support wellbeing and the arts across the local community.

Ideal skills that you would bring to the committee would be:

• Experience in a governance-type role or willingness to learn
• Involvement in the local community sector
• Understanding of a formal meeting process including Agendas and Minutes
• Strong sense of confidentiality - as sensitive information is often shared
• Confident reading ability - as there are often large agendas requiring a few hours of reading time

This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, take part in decision making and contribute to your community.

Read more about the fund below:

Community Wellbeing Fund

The Community Wellbeing Fund's goal is to support social, cultural, environmental and economic wellbeing as well as Council’s vision to create “Our City with Heart – He Ngākau Aroha”. Find out more here: Invercargill Community Wellbeing Fund Page.

The current Committee members include 5 Councillors: Steve Broad (Chair), Andrea de Vries, Lisa Tou-MacNaughton, Marcus Lush; and 2 Community Representatives: Nathan Burdon and Anjelina Nikora-Wilson. The committee distributes over $500,000 a year and meets once every 2 months, generally on a Thursday afternoon in March, May, July, September and November.

“Being the Youth Representative on the Community Wellbeing Fund committee was a really valuable experience. It gave me the chance to see how funding decisions are made and how community organisations are supported from the ground up. I felt genuinely listened to, and it was reassuring to know that a youth perspective was valued alongside adults around the table. The committee environment was welcoming and supportive, and it was a great opportunity to build confidence, learn new skills, and contribute to positive outcomes for the wider community. I’d definitely encourage any young person who’s interested in the community and leadership to put their name forward." - Sebastian Gray - Former Youth Representative on the Community Wellbeing Fund Subcommittee.

To apply to be a youth rep on the fund committee, please fill in the application form via the link below. Applications will be assessed by a recruitment subcommittee, made up of current fund committee members and we will have outcomes sent out by the end of February.

For more information please email Gemma at wellbeing@icc.govt.nz or phone 03 211 1798

Applications for the Youth Representative positions close on Sunday 15 February 2026.

* A young person is someone aged between 12 and 24 years old. Those applying who are under 16 will require parental permission.