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Hands holding Lego figurines

Our People

CLT is governed by a board of Trustees and managed day-to-day by a team of local professionals. 

Our Trust

Central Lakes Trust is one of the largest philanthropic trusts per capita in the Southern Hemisphere. Its purpose is to ensure it can be available over time to help support charitable projects throughout Central Lakes; to enhance the community and the lives of the people within.

Central Lakes Trust office in Cromwell

About us

Central Lakes Trust (CLT) is a charitable trust committed to helping our community by offering funds for various charitable causes throughout the Central Lakes district.

Each year, we distribute around $10 million to community organisations within our funding region, which covers most of Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes.

Historic photo of moving pipes

Our History

Our 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.

Finance and investments

We have developed an investment approach that we believe will help us to achieve our vision. We aim to preserve capital and maximise the funding available for granting, subject to a prudent level of portfolio risk. 

Mount Stuart wind farm near the Manuka Gorge in Otago
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