A charitable foundation created in 2016 by Darwin water bottler NT Beverages to donate a portion of profits to "those in need" has never made a donation.

Key points: NT Beverages' Akuna Foundation charity was deregistered in July 2017 but made no donations

NT Beverages' Akuna Foundation charity was deregistered in July 2017 but made no donations $50,000 payment to Athletics NT referred to by former CEO as a "donation" was actually a sponsorship payment

$50,000 payment to Athletics NT referred to by former CEO as a "donation" was actually a sponsorship payment Akuna Foundation website continued promoting donation pledge until it was shut down in the last week following ABC queries

NT Beverages' Akuna Foundation website was shut down in the last week, after the ABC raised questions about its role and functions.

ASIC records show the foundation was deregistered in July 2017 — little more than a year after it was established — but NT Beverages continued to claim on the website that the foundation was committed to distributing 10 per cent of the company's pre-tax profits to worthy community causes.

Foundation directors contacted by the ABC said that NT Beverages never called a board meeting during the life of the entity and that the board was not presented with any charitable donations to approve.

NT Beverages came under scrutiny earlier this year after it was revealed the company had been awarded $10 million of public money from the NT Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) before it had a formal water extraction licence in place.

The ABC revealed last month that the company had incorrectly identified the source of its water and geological properties of its aquifer in promotional materials.

NT Government officials and NT IDF representatives declined to comment on whether their due diligence identified the incorrect claims or examined the Akuna Foundation, before awarding the company $10 million of taxpayer funds earlier this year.

'Donation' to Athletics Australia a sponsorship agreement

Former NT Beverages CEO and founder Hugh Jones told the ABC in March that the company made one "donation" of $50,000 to Athletics NT in 2016.

"The Akuna Foundation was inaugurated in February 2016 with the aim of donating 10 per cent of the pre-taxed profits from the sale of our products into the foundation," Mr Jones wrote in a March 2018 email.

"In 2016, we donated $50,000 to Athletics NT to offer our support to a home-grown sporting organisation, demonstrating our commitment to the local community and encouraging NT Athletics to use these funds towards club development opportunities."

But NT Beverages' 2016 "donation" was actually a signed sponsorship agreement with Athletics NT that involved naming an athletics track after one of the company's products.

Athletics NT stated it did receive $50,000 from NT Beverages in 2016, but not from the Akuna Foundation and not as a donation.

"We received the cash as well as bottles of water for our ongoing sporting activities; it was part of a contractual sponsorship agreement with NT Beverages," said president Kevin Mulvahil.

Three volunteer Akuna Foundation board members, including chair and Mix 104.9 radio presenter Katie Woolf, told the ABC the foundation's board was never made aware of the $50,000 payment to Athletics NT, nor was it asked to approve any donations.

"I tendered my resignation from the foundation in February 2017, as there was no correspondence from NT Beverages or meetings organised following the launch," Ms Woolf said.

"The committee was never informed of any applications from community or charity groups."

Mr Jones recently left the role of CEO with NT Beverages and has been uncontactable, while NT Beverages' general manager Brett Lindsay did not answer questions over the Akuna Foundation's activities.

The website pledged to donate money to "the most deserving of projects and community initiatives" and update customers on the amount raised.

"The Akuna Foundation will not only help support those in need but is 100 per cent transparent to our customers as donations will be shared on our website where you can actually watch the funds grow!" the website claimed earlier this month.

No donations were listed as having been raised or paid out at the time of the website shutting down.

NT Beverages, which makes Akuna Springs and Akuna Blue water brands, was controversially awarded a $10m government grant. ( Facebook: NT Beverages )

NT Beverages stands by water claims

The ABC revealed last month that the water source of NT Beverage's Akuna Springs and Akuna Blue water brands was not from the aquifer the company claimed on its website and was not sourced through an "artesian" aquifer, nor a volcanic rock aquifer.

NT Beverages stood by its water claims, which are still promoted on the NT Beverages' website; however, their Akuna Springs website also appears to have been shut down in recent days.

Head public servant Jodie Ryan, who represents the NT Government on the board of the IDF, declined to answer questions over what due diligence was undertaken before the company was awarded $10 million.

"The NT IDF is a private company and these questions referring to the conduct of the company constitute commercial in confidence," Ms Ryan said in a statement, adding that she had not resigned from the entity, and remains a board member, as previously reported.

The IDF was conceived by the previous CLP government with $200 million from the controversial sale of the Territory Insurance Office and acts as a private entity, despite being fully funded by taxpayers.

Fund manager Infrastructure Capital Group (ICG) was paid $1 million last financial year by taxpayers to manage the fund and recommend investments to the board, and also declined to explain what due diligence it undertook on NT Beverages.

Last Wednesday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner dismissed calls for an investigation into how NT Beverages was awarded $10 million of public money, and said he would not be seeking to recover the cash.

"The question obviously goes to the quality of the [IDF's] due diligence; this is still an ongoing entity, the NT IDF, we won't be doing an investigation," he said.