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.

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

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