Voting is open for the Central Lakes Trust (CLT) elections.

“Twelve candidates from across the central lakes region have been nominated to stand for the board,” says CLT chair, Linda Robertson.

“It is now the community’s opportunity to have their say on who they would prefer to represent them and serve on the Trust for the next three years,” she says.

Central Lakes Trust’s funding region spans most of Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes

The board of Central Lakes Trust will be comprised of five publicly elected trustees alongside three appointed trustees. The term of office is three years and the maximum period a trustee can serve is nine years.

“This year, Cath Gilmour is mandated to retire, having served on the board for nine years, and Rosie Hill is not standing for re-election. In total five community-elected board positions will be filled from the 12 nominees,” she says.

The election is held under the First Past the Post electoral system using postal and internet voting. Voting commences with the delivery of voting documents to all qualified electors from Thursday 20 October and will close at midday on Friday 18 November 2022.

The Trust plays an important role in our community, having distributed over $128 million back into the community through grants to charitable causes since inception in 2000. It has assets totalling over $467 million driving an annual grants budget of approximately $10-12 million.

“The Trust is a significant community asset. Ultimately that asset is yours, and consequently, it’s up to you to determine who will serve on the board as elected Trustees,” Ms Robertson says.

Retiring elected trustee, Cath Gilmour says, “Nine years as a Central Lakes Trust trustee has given me the privilege of seeing the huge contribution so many volunteers make to our Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts. And to help their vision and drive reach reality with funding support and proactive collaboration from CLT’s team.”

“A huge thanks to those visionaries who ensured it didn’t just end up being some $1000 in then-residents’ back pockets in a one-off hurrah, as had been proposed by some, instead of the huge asset in perpetuity it has become for everyone in our region.”

Rosie Hill adds, "It has been an honour to be part of CLT in my tenure as an elected trustee. We hold great responsibility in making decisions that ensure the future generations continue to benefit from the Trust's growth and success. The trustees and staff are all committed, highly skilled, and passionate about this region, and exciting times lie ahead for CLT to continue on its mission to enhance assets and enrich lives."

Online and postal voting closes midday Friday 18 November. To ensure your vote counts the last recommended day to post your voting papers is 15 November, go to www.clt.net.nz for more details.

The following persons have been nominated as candidates for the 2022 Central Lakes Trust triennial election of trustees:

BATTSON                     Jude
BOULT                         Jim
BREEN                         Lindsay
DEDO                           Kathy
EVANS                         Doreen
GARDINER                   Charlotte
HOPE                           Grant
LEPPER                        Tony
RADFORD                    Kate
VAN UDEN                   Vanessa
WEBB                           Trudi
WITHINGTON               Barbara

ABOUT THE CENTRAL LAKES TRUST

Central Lakes Trust is a charitable trust that grant funds for charitable purposes.

It is the largest philanthropic trust per capita in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Trust’s origins hail from the Energy Companies Act of 1992, and the Electricity Industry Reform Act of 1998, requiring power boards to be incorporated, allowing communities to determine how the shares in the new energy companies were held.

Many communities, including Central Lakes allocated shares into a Trust. While many Trusts retained their lines business, with the 1998 reforms, Otago Central Electric Power Trust sold their lines business and retained the generation business (now Pioneer Energy), bestowing these in Central Lakes Trust.

The Trust purpose is to make a positive lasting contribution to the community by supporting charitable projects throughout Central Lakes; to enhance our community and the lives of the people within.

Since its inception in 2000 the Trust has grown its asset base from the $155m to assets totalling $467m, and has distributed more than $128m into a wide range of community projects and services throughout the Central Lakes area, as at 31 March 2022.