The Old Cromwell Precinct will be further restored and preserved for generations to come with Old Cromwell Incorporated’s restoration project of McNulty House. With a grant from CLT for $233,747 for earthquake strengthening and restoration of this Heritage NZ listed building, the group have been able to further fundraise, raising $580,000 of their $760,000 goal.

The majority of the house will be set up to display how a family lived in the area in the 1880’s and will be open daily to the public. The rear of the building will be functional storage and meeting space for the society and other community groups.

CLT have previously assisted the Cromwell Community Board with the purchase of the house back in 2012, granting $376,250 towards its purchase. Since then, Old Cromwell Incorporated have committed substantial time and resource to restoring the surrounding grounds and carpark of McNulty House, as well as rezoning it from residential to heritage, to get to the point they are ready to preserve the building.

Bullendale Phoenix Mining Company’s hydro electric power plant saw the first commercial use of electricity in New Zealand in 1886 in the remote high country north of the former Skippers settlement. Wakatipu Heritage Trust with a grant from CLT are to construct a replica of the powerhouse structure, and restore and preserve the surviving equipment at the remote site. The power plant, was perhaps the inspiration for the subsequent establishment of the Teviot Electric Power Board and the Otago Central Electric Power Board, assets of which were bestowed to Central Lakes Trust in 2000. The powerhouse was dismantled in 1919, and the materials used to build the Dynamo Hut, which is now a trampers’ hut owned by the Department of Conservation.

In October 2019, as part of a joint venture with Southern Cross Hospitals, CLT announced investment in a new surgical hospital to be located in Queenstown. The hospital is to be known as Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital. It forms part of the Trust’s investment portfolio and is currently under construction, due to be completed by late 2021. This investment forms part of the Trust’s strategy on social impact investing, where the Trust can invest a portion of its investment fund in investments that generate a community benefit to our CLT region, alongside a financial return.

Every three years in November, the Central Lakes community vote on who will be elected to represent them and serve on the board of the Trust. 2019 saw considerable change in the board, as four trustees were mandated to retire, having served nine years.

A record 25 candidates were nominated to stand, the largest number since the trust’s commencement. 28.37% of electors, being 10,749 voters elected Lindsay Breen, Cath Gilmour, Tony Lepper, Rosie Hill and Kathy Dedo to the board of the Trust to serve alongside our appointed trustees.

A recent blessing of the ground at St John’s site for a new state-of-the-art ‘ambulance hub’ marks the commencement of the year long build to construct the new 574sq ambulance hub.

Supported by Central Lakes Trust with a $1.65 million grant, the new Cromwell based facility is based on St John’s successful hub and spoke model in Christchurch.

Strategically located in the central location the ambulance hub will service the surrounding district allowing better management flexibility of the 19 ambulance and operational vehicles based in seven stations across the region.

St John provide a crucial and highly valued service for the community. The demand for ambulance services continues to increase. Even with government funding, St John need to raise $85,000 a day to keep the service going nationwide.