2000

The OCEPT Deed determined that the funds from the sale of the lines/retail and the generation businesses had to be used for charitable purpose. To have paid out the $120 million to individual consumers, as many other power trusts had done, would require the trust deed to undergo a lengthy process of being rewritten.

In October 2000 voting papers were delivered to the community who were to decide the future of the OCEPT. The OCEPT’s board proposed that Central Lakes Charitable Trust be created so that each year charitable projects throughout Central Lakes would be supported; to enhance the community and the lives of the people within.

It was also proposed Central Electric consumers at the time receive a share of the $17.6m accumulated profits.

A consumer poll closed Saturday 4 November 2000, with nearly 70% of the 16,000 eligible voters casting their votes. 8,314 voted ‘yes’ to winding up OCEPT. A consumer distribution was made in December 2000 to each Central Electric customer based on their electricity consumption.

The six elected OCEPT trustees became the interim trustees of Central Lakes Trust (CLT) until the next scheduled trustee election in 2001.

The inaugural board meeting of CLT was held on 6 December 2000 at Cromwell’s Golden Gate Lodge, at this point the Trust was already handling a flurry of enquiries for funding.

2001

The Trust has a long history of supporting social service agencies, and is one of the few funders to do so. Happiness House, Alexandra Community Advice Network Inc, Queenstown Citizens Advice Bureau, and the Central Otago Friendship Network, are examples of groups which have received regular operational grants since 2001, while Central Lakes Family Services has received funding since 2002. To this day a significant portion of the Trust’s annual funding budget supports these core services.

On 7 February 2001 the Trust was incorporated as a charitable trust under the Charitable Trusts Act of 1957.

The first quarterly grants meeting was scheduled and held in Roxburgh on 20 March. 1,000 grant application forms were printed, lasting only 10 days, after which 500 more were ordered. Grant requests to the value of $6,365,698.75 were put before the six trustees. 48 grants at a total value of $1,908,574 were approved, including $700,000 to St John for a new ambulance station at Frankton, still in use today. And $400,000 granted to assist in the conversion of Roxburgh Hospital into a rest home, also still in use today.

CLT moved into their Cromwell offices in the Central Otago District Council (CODC) premises on 26 April 2001, at 42 The Mall.

The first Annual Public Meeting (APM) of the trust was held on 25 July 2001 at the Lake Wanaka Centre.

Results from the first election of trustees were announced on 5 December 2001. 36% of electors voted Lynley Claridge, Duncan Butcher, Dick Hill, Elizabeth Duggan, Michael Allison, and Peter Mead to the board for a term of three years. The maximum period a trustee can serve is three terms, or nine years.

One of the Trust’s more substantial initial grants ($1 million) was granted to CODC for the Molyneux Aquatic Centre. Opened by New Zealand’s then Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark on 14 April 2003, the aquatic centre is a year-round facility with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. In years to come the Trust would provide support for the Cromwell, Queenstown and Wanaka swim centres.

2003

The Dunedin Community Volunteer Centre Trust was established in 1986 to link volunteers with community groups. In November 2003 an outreach programme began in Central Otago. In 2004 CLT made a contribution towards the Central Otago Volunteer Training Seminars for the 2005/06 year. Since 2007, Volunteering Otago has been supported by the Trust. In 2011 Volunteering Central was instigated at the suggestion of Central Lakes Trust to better meet the needs of volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers in the region.

Today their service covers Wanaka, Queenstown, Cromwell, Alexandra and areas in between, helping to connect volunteers with non-profit organisations, as well as offering support, training and resources to volunteer managers. They have 185 community organisations registered with some 1,686 volunteers coordinated across the region. Having just recently changed their name
to Volunteering South to expand their service throughout the southern region, they have been
at the forefront of the work undertaken due to the COVID-19 pandemic; coordinating volunteers with both QLDC and CODC response teams and social service agencies.

2004

In 2000, Pioneer Generation represented 23% of the Trust’s investment portfolio, in 2004, this had grown to 27% and now comprises approximately 40%.

Wanaka Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer organisation providing an emergency search and rescue response capability in the lower South Island in support of NZ Police and the Rescue Coordination Centre NZ. They responded to 25 operations in 2019 with five specialist groups; Alpine, Bush, Swift Water, Search Dogs and Maritime, utilising 75 volunteers. Approximately 90% of operations involve helicopters. It is critical that the organisation remains current and fit-for-purpose in terms of the equipment and training required to operate in the dangerous and life-threatening terrain in which much of their work takes place.

Since 2004, CLT have regularly supported the organisation with funding for equipment and training so this vital service can continue to help the lost, missing and injured in our rivers, hills and mountains.

The November 2004 elections saw Sir Eion Edgar and Graeme Bell elected to the board in place of Dick Hill and Lynley Claridge.

2005

Central Otago Living Options Charitable Trust has been operating since 2001, providing individualised support and residential services for people with disabilities in Central Otago. For many years CLT provided an operational grant to support the running of their day centre which operated out of the back room of ‘Church House’ in Alexandra. By 2005, as demand increased, they required a larger and more suitable facility. Supported with a grant of $1.5 million, they constructed a purpose-built day activity centre in Ngapara Street, Alexandra. They now run six houses, owning four. Two of these houses were bought with the support of CLT. They support 35 people across their day centre and supported living houses. In 2019 CLT supported them to purchase an additional house to cater to further increased demand.

2007

In 2007 the inaugural Central Lakes Trust Scholarship programme commenced. 25 applications were received, 13 scholarships valued at $2,000 were awarded for the 2008 year. Since 2007 the programme has evolved and grown. Now, 50 students from all five secondary schools in the district are awarded $2,500 each for further education each year. In 2019 Pioneer Energy came on board with Science & Technology Scholarships, and in 2020 Vocational Scholarships which specifically recognise vocational knowledge and skills required for our future workforce have been introduced. In the 14 years the initiative has been running, 584 young people have been assisted, and $1,301,500 granted.

In September 2007 the Trust submitted registration for charitable status to the Charities Commission and was registered on 29 May 2008.

Over 2007 and 2008, $2.1 million was granted to support an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiative for all schools throughout our region. The initiative was to develop a high- quality e-learning environment for all 25 schools in the Central Lakes Trust region. The programme went on to support a professional development programme for teachers.

2008

In March 2008, trustees approved a grant of $80,000 to be distributed amongst the community arts councils in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes Districts for the purpose of promoting arts at a local level. The grant amount was based on $2 per head of population. In June 2011 this was increased to $100,000 per annum.

Central Lakes Trust Arts Support Scheme (CLASS) is now entering its 12th year.

The four Community Art Councils within Central Lakes each administer their portion of the fund. Applications that meet the scheme’s criteria are eligible for grants up to $2,000 per project, and over the years has benefitted many arts projects and activities.

2009

The largest grant approved by Central Lakes Trust in 2009 was $1 million towards the Alexandra Community House. Community houses have proved very successful, providing a centralised operational base for community organisations, as well as enabling resources to be shared and increasing the opportunity for these groupsto network effectively. Cromwell also has a Community House supported by the Trust. Recently the Wanaka Community Hub has opened with our support, while fundraising has commenced for a similar concept in Queenstown.

2010

A decade in operation, Central Lakes Trust had granted over $50 million in its 10 years. Late that year elections were held, where four of the existing trustees were no longer eligible to stand for re-election, having served the maximum three terms as deemed by the Trust Deed. Twenty-one candidates stood for election. On 19 November 2010, 29.2% of electors voted in Graeme Bell, Sir Eion Edgar, Alex Huffadine, Bernice Lepper, Malcolm Macpherson and Greg Wilkinson as trustees for Central Lakes Trust.

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