Nominations are opening for the Central Lakes Trust elections.

“Every three years, we, as a community get to vote on who will represent us and serve on the Board of Central Lakes Trust,” says Trust Chair, Linda Robertson.

The Board of Central Lakes Trust is 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.

Over $1.3 million of community funds were granted in the latest funding round says Trust Chief Executive, Susan Finlay.

“A range of different causes across our district have been supported,” says Susan, “taking total grants for the financial year to $3.5 million of our $9.1 million grants budget,” she says.

A new state of the art ‘ambulance hub’ is closer to fruition with a $1.65m grant from Central Lakes Trust.

Based on St John’s successful hub and spoke model in Christchurch, the Central Lakes hub will allow better management flexibility of the 19 ambulance and operational vehicles based in seven stations across the region, says Trust Chair, Linda Robertson.

“This innovative new facility will see the entire region benefit from an improved operating model,” she said.

An Arts On Tour NZ project, the documentary ‘Central to The Soul’ has been honoured with selection at the 2019 Doc Edge Film Festival. The Festival showcases the best documentaries from New Zealand and the world every year in Auckland and Wellington. Trailer: http://docedge.nz/film/central-to-the-soul/

Changes in government funding for both emergency response and key social services, will leave community funders to make up the shortfall advises Central Lakes Trust Chief Executive, Susan Finlay.

“Government funding changes mean it is on the community to raise the significant funds to maintain vital emergency response services and address the growing demand from social service agencies,” she says.

Last year was the first time in the Trust’s history it was oversubscribed. “Looking forward, it won’t be the last,” Susan states.

Central Lakes Trust launches online applications with over $300,000 granted in the first funding round for the 2019 calendar year.

Grants Manager, Vicci Lawrence says applicants can now easily track the progress of their application and manage their grant.

Otago Goldfield’s Heritage Trust treasurer, Odette Hopgood-Bride, who applied for a grant to enable a region wide review of heritage sites, confirmed the online application process was “really easy.”

The Sport Otago swim school programme will again be made possible by the support of the Trust and other partners, which sees primary school children throughout the Central Lakes Trust region receive 10 swimming lessons annually, says Sports Central regional coordinator, Bill Godsall.

Central Lakes Trust Chair, Linda Robertson and newly appointed trustee, Hetty Van Hale (pictured) at Cromwell Swim Centre last week with Cromwell Primary School student, Isabelle Colton, where the students participated in a swim school lesson. Students were clothed swimming in simulated weed. The lesson was to gain awareness of what it is like to swim in a situation they may not be used to, but could well be possible in our New Zealand waters.

Central Lakes Trust (CLT) appoint new trustee, Hetty Van Hale of Wanaka.

The Trust, which was wholly made up of six publicly elected trustees, now, under the governance structure voted in at the November 2016’s referendum, includes three appointed, alongside five publicly elected trustees.

The transition to the new structure saw two of the three appointed trustees commence their roles, 1st December 2017, with the final appointment made 1st December 2018. The current six publicly elected positions will reduce to five at the 2019 election.

Central Lakes Trust to give a further $658,300 towards retrofitting insulation in Central Lakes over the next four years.

Central Lakes Trust funding assisted the insulation of more than 600 homes through the Smart Energy Solutions subsidises over the past four years. The new grant will support two lower income sectors of the community, insulating ceiling and underfloor for 250 households per year.

Both Dunstan Hospital and the Lakes District Hospital each receive Central Lakes Trust (CLT) funding to secure the purchase of CT Scanners. The hospitals service the wider Central Lakes region, which spans most of Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes.

Dunstan Hospital receives $364,000 towards a 64-slice scanner, which will enable children to be scanned, where previously they would have to travel to Dunedin. The 64-slice scanner is a replacement upgrade for the current 16-slice scanner, purchased in 2012 with funding from Central Lakes Trust, which is now nearing the end of its life.

Queenstown's Linda Robertson is the new chair of Central Lakes Trust, replacing Mr. Tony Hill, who remains as a trustee.

Ms. Robertson who was appointed to the Trust late last year has extensive governance experience serving on Boards and Audit & Risk Committees, as well as a background in finance and the energy sector working for both local government and the corporate sector.

Fifty students from 8 secondary schools were presented Central Lakes Trust tertiary education scholarships at an official awards function held in Cromwell on 23 October. The scholarships, which are valued at $2,500 each, aim to assist students who study at a tertiary institution.

“We’re very pleased to have found a way to support young people build their futures. In the 12 years this programme has been running we’ve helped 434 young people, to a total amount of $1,051,500,” says Chief Executive, Susan Finlay.

“This funding round has been one of the smaller ones of late but is no means an indication of community need. In fact, our grants team have been working across the sectors assisting preparation of funding applications. Particularly as we enter spring - the Heritage & Environment and Arts & Culture sectors come alive, with more happening in this space, says Chief Executive, Susan Finlay.

“The impacts of the economic and social pressures our community faces as it grows, are starkly obvious in the figures the Wakatipu Abuse Prevention Network presented in their application for funding to deliver their services in our community,” says Chief Executive, Susan Finlay.

“For the 11 months to date this year, we have worked with 580 clients from throughout the Wakatipu Basin, a 48% increase from the previous year’s total figures,” says Tina Mongston, Jigsaw Central Lakes Manager (trading name for the Wakatipu Abuse Prevention Network). In particular, Wanaka has seen an increase in demand due to population growth, and now have two social workers based there.

The Central Otago Youth Employment Programme is seeking prospective businesses to take on students for work experience.

The pilot which has been running just four months, is a new initiative, to develop a coordinated learning pathway targeting students who are disengaged from learning in a typical schooling environment.

entral Lakes Trust have funded over $1.2 million dollars in support of a wide range of community causes this month, from around our region. Health and safety has proved a major driver in the applications for funding; from playcentres, to search & rescue, and sporting facilities.

“This element is increasingly becoming an issue for groups to address and mitigate,” says Trust Chair, Tony Hill.

The Central Otago Primary Schools Sports Association will receive a grant to support a regional sports coordinator for the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago region.

The coordinator will facilitate a new approach across the region, fostering participation from primary school children at different levels in regional events including swimming, athletes, cross country, orienteering and triathlon.

Over $850,000 has been granted towards charitable projects and programmes throughout the Central Lakes region in this March funding round, says Chairman Tony Hill. “This sees $7.81 million granted for charitable causes within the Central Lakes area for the financial year end,” he says.

Amongst recipients are St John Wakatipu whom receive $100,000 towards a new ambulance for the region. This will improve the quality of the Wakatipu fleet and forms a part of an ambulance replacement plan which sees aging ambulances; those that have travelled over 400,000 kms, or older than eight years replaced.