Tauranga City Council's first meeting of the year gets underway this morning at 9am.

The Community and Culture Committee will be discussing funding to the women's shelter Awhina House through the distribution of funds from the Stewart Trust Fund.

The shelter which hasn't opened its doors yet was burgled three weeks ago and items gifted to the organisation stolen.

It included a washing machine, lawn mower, weed eater, power tools and garden equipment, such as a spade and fork.

He Kaupapa Kotahitanga Trust Tauranga is setting up the Trust

Chairwoman Angela Wallace says there has been an amazing response from the community.

'People have donated money to help cover our one thousand dollars insurance excess fee,” says Angela.

'We are blown away by the generosity of the community, we now have enough to cover the insurance excess and a little bit extra.”

Also on the agenda this morning is the deliberation on the Gambling Venues Policy and the Tauranga Reserve Management Plan.