Latest news with #CentralLakesTrust
Otago Daily Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Trust awards preschool $250,000
Wānaka. PHOTO: ARCHIVE Over $200,000 was awarded to a local preschool during a recent Central Lakes Trust meeting when more than $1million was given to programmes across the region. Wānaka Preschool Early Childhood Centre received $250,000 last week, which has gone towards refreshing their current spaces and expanding to add a second sleep room. Sixty-two children attend the preschool. Centre manager Lo Stevenson said they received inquiries about available spaces on a daily basis, and had decided to cap their wait list at 100 children. The renovations would allow them to expand their roll, enabling them to continue to meet the growing needs of the community. The centre was one of many programmes and projects to receive funding as the trust had awarded over $1m across the region. This funding is set to support a wide range of initiatives across the region, including film-making, cancer rehabilitation, facilities upgrades and community safety. The Upper Clutha Presbyterian Church received $15,000 for its youth workers in the Mt Aspiring College programme and the Wānaka Community Patrol was awarded a $2500 operational grant. Some of the larger figures awarded in the broader region include $220,000 awarded to Queenstown Electrification Accelerator Programme, led by Rewiring Aotearoa. This pilot programme will establish a locally based team to develop momentum and accelerate movement to alternate energy sources. "Switching our energy reliance from fossil fuels to locally generated electricity will lower the cost of living, improve community health, and reduce emissions," Rewiring Aotearoa chief executive Mike Casey said. Trust chairwoman Linda Robertson said the trust was thrilled to be supporting an initiative that would help create a more resilient future for the community. Youth mental health organisation ADL also received over $100,000 and the Otago Community Hospice Trust was awarded just over $200,000. — APL
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Trust grant allows photographers stellar exhibition
An image from Winterstellar 2025. The astrophotography exhibition is at the Central Lakes Museum, in Arrowtown, until the end of July and then moves to Alexandra. PHOTO: ANDY DAVEY Schools, art and sports facilities around Central Otago are all better off following the latest round of grants from Central Lakes Trust. Winterstellar Charitable Trust chief executive Andy Davey said the $11,000 grant was used to print images for the Winterstellar 2025 exhibition, which opened in Arrowtown last week. It was the trust's sixth exhibition of astrophotography, Mr Davey said. This year there were 21 artists showing their work. There were images from all around the South Island. The 39 images included all of the South Island's internationally accredited dark sky areas. The centrepiece of the show was a 7mx2m image of the Milky Way, he said. Work was ongoing to achieve international dark sky accreditation for Central Otago. Mr Davey said it was a complex and expensive process, but progress was happening.
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Trust invests in future philanthropists
Central Lakes Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger. PHOTO: ODT FILES Central Lakes Trust has provided a $50,000 grant to the 45South Community Foundation, formerly Wakatipu Community Foundation, to support the growth of local philanthropy and youth engagement across the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago. The grant includes operational support, with the remaining funds for Generation Give, 45South's youth philanthropy programme, which offers high school students the chance to learn about local needs, engage directly with charitable organisations, and make real-life grant decisions with funds they raise themselves. CLT chief executive Barbara Bridger (left) says the partnership's well aligned with the trust's vision of "strong, connected and resilient communities". 45South CEO Jennifer Belmont says the funding will help build a strong foundation for "long-term, place-based philanthropy" and empower local youth to discover the power of generosity and community action. "We're incredibly grateful to Central Lakes Trust for this investment in both our organisation and the next generation of community leaders."
Otago Daily Times
22-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Career in energy proved a power of good
In March, Pioneer Energy Group announced its long-serving chief executive Fraser Jonker would step down but stay on in a business advisory capacity until his retirement at the end of this month. He talks to business editor Sally Rae about his career in the energy sector and his love of the land. "Sometimes it's good to fly under the radar. People underestimate you and then you can do stuff," Fraser Jonker says with a wry smile. And do stuff he most certainly did during his 15-year tenure with the Alexandra-based energy company, which is wholly owned by the Central Lakes Trust. From 18 employees when he started to more than 200 now in the Pioneer Energy Group, it has grown and diversified from a Central Otago-based company to a national footprint with assets throughout the country. But, as he put it, it was time for new energy — no pun intended — to continue to take the company forward. "You just know when it's time. I think it's the right thing to do. Fifteen years is a long tenure for most CEs," he said. His departure coincided with Pioneer going out to market to look for new equity and, while an announcement was yet to be made, seeing the response and value the energy investment sector put on the business was rewarding, he said. "To me, that's the cherry on the cake. I think once a new investment partner is publicly notified, people will understand the value of our business and value the partnership will bring ... having a commitment of equity to come in, the new chief executive can move this business forward." He was also proud to see one of the company's own, Peter McClean, who had been with Pioneer for more than a decade, appointed chief executive. But there were also mixed emotions about departing as he acknowledged he was feeling both happy and sad. "It's still my baby," he said. Rather than retirement, Mr Jonker, 57, said it was more like a change in career and he was looking at what he could give back. He was keen to focus on governance — he already has some governance positions, including in the energy sector — and also spend time on his small farm which was his "happy place". Coincidentally, it was sheep grazing on Auckland's One Tree Hill which inadvertently contributed to Mr Jonker moving to New Zealand in the first place. He was farming and running an electrical engineering consultancy business in his home country of South Africa when he and his wife Aletta started questioning if they really wanted to raise their two children there. With a career that was very transferable, the plan initially was to move to Australia; Perth was a particular favourite and, while visiting there, they decided to check out Sydney. Once there, they realised it was only three hours from Auckland, where they had friends living, so in a spur-of-the-moment decision, decided to visit for a weekend. Their friends took them for a tour around and Mr Jonker thought "what a country!". He was captivated by the environment, the greenness — and the sheep he spotted on One Tree Hill. On the flight home, the couple looked at each other and decided they would move to New Zealand if Mr Jonker could get a job. "It just felt like the right place," he said. While he initially studied medicine for a year, Mr Jonker always had a technical bent. He grew up on a farm and his father gave him the choice of either going farming or gaining qualifications. He completed degrees in electrical engineering and commerce and then worked in the distribution environment for a few years before a friend moved to New Zealand and asked if he wanted his role in a consulting firm. Mr Jonker later started his own consulting business, where he enjoyed being his own boss, and combined that with farming. He ran sheep and also grew wheat, maize, carrots, pumpkins, melons and watermelons under irrigation. He also established a 2000-tree pecan nut orchard. Farming was something he particularly enjoyed — "that was in my heart" — but with the unrest in South Africa, the "massive" decision to move was made, leaving behind both his and his wife's families and selling the farm. His father was upset with him, having thought his son would take over his own farm, and Mr Jonker admitted he probably settled when his father later visited the family in New Zealand and said he could see why they made the move, and he was happy. Mr Jonker's first job was at electricity distribution network company Unison in Hawke's Bay in 2004 and, after two years, he was offered a job in Auckland with Northpower, reporting to the chief executive. He spent four years as general manager in Auckland, looking after the company's Australian business and contracting business in New Zealand. During that time, the family visited Queenstown for a weekend and the area reminded him of the dry and remote area where he used to live. About a year later, by accident, he picked up the paper and saw the Pioneer Energy chief executive role advertised and decided to apply. Not a big city boy, he said he would buy some land if he got the job, making the move south in 2010 even more attractive. Pioneer was formed in 1999 after the electricity industry reforms and evolved from the generation assets of the former Otago Central Electric Power Board, and it now owned and operated a diverse portfolio of energy assets, products and investments. It pays an annual dividend to the Central Lakes Trust. The money is given by the trust to community projects and services and, since its inception in 2000, it has distributed more than $115 million. Pioneer had received strong continued support from the Central Lakes Trust, and the late Sir Eion Edgar — who had a long involvement with CLT — made a "massive" difference to Mr Jonker, both as a mentor and a leader and the way he looked at enabling the company to be successful. There had also been good support from Pioneer's board of directors, he had served under three chairmen — firstly, Allan Kane, then Stuart Heal and now Rob Hewett. In 2012 Pioneer acquired Energy for Industry, an industrial thermal energy supply business. In 2016, the company became the majority shareholder in the Pulse Energy retail business, partnering with Buller Energy Ltd to strengthen its position in the energy market. Following the construction of Pioneer's second wind farm in 2015, the company joined forces with Southern Partners, Roaring 40's, the shareholders of PowerNet Ltd to establish the Southern Generation Limited Partnership (SGLP). That partnership fuelled substantial growth in renewable generation, leading to the acquisition of multiple hydro power schemes across New Zealand, including two developed by Pioneer in 2019 and 2021. Pioneer also ventured into the waste-to-energy sector through a partnership with Ecostock Ltd, forming Ecogas Ltd Partnership. In 2022, the business commissioned its first site in Reporoa, cementing its leadership in New Zealand's organic food waste processing sector. The facility diverts organic waste from landfills to produce biomethane and it became the first site in New Zealand to inject biomethane into the country's reticulated natural gas network. In 2024, Pioneer acquired full ownership of SGLP, restructuring its business to position for future growth and the introduction of additional equity partners. As part of the transition, Pioneer also became the sole shareholder of Pulse Energy, with Buller Energy Ltd taking a stake in Pioneer Energy Renewables LP. Asked how he would sum up his tenure at Pioneer, Mr Jonker said it had been mostly fun and there was never a dull moment. He had support and the freedom to bring ideas to the board and could make a lot of those "fly". "It was exciting," he said. A challenge, as the company grew, was to stay nimble and not become a corporate and the ability to "make quick decisions and get on with things" was a strength. Several things stood out; the southern partnership and the Ecogas business — "stuff happens, you get ideas" — which was was awarded the Auckland Council's 20-year kerbside food scrap processing contract, the only small New Zealand company to put in a bid — the rest were multinationals. It then secured a contract with the Christchurch City Council to build a food waste-to-bioenergy facility. Another highlight was seeing people develop and embrace the change. When a business was constantly doing new things, then that drove energy. There was a lot of of excitement in the energy space and continued growth of the Pioneer business was good for the community. The trust realised that as it had grown and diversified the business, the returns the community got out of the business became more stable, he said. The nicest part of the role was the people and the toughest part of the role was also people. A lot of Pioneer's growth was through partnerships and keeping everyone aligned was probably the hardest thing, he said. But, if you got it right, then that was rewarding. And, like a marriage, you could never stop working on it. Speaking of marriage, Mr Jonker said it was important to have support in roles like he had and his wife had always been very supportive of him. The couple's 10-hectare farmlet — "you can almost believe you're on a farm again" — had also provided a good break from the business, whether it was mowing a paddock or baling hay. One thing about farming was the rewards were shorter and more immediate. "One thing as CEO, although we had a lot of successes in my tenure, by the time it's celebrated, you've moved on to the next thing. Farming is rewarding in that sense."
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Theatre buffs to stage first show
Wānaka's new theatre group has been overwhelmed with support as members put together a cast for their first production. Onstage Wānaka will premiere Blood Brothers in August. The group came together after some local performers felt there was no real community for performers and theatre enthusiasts in the Upper Clutha area. The group's secretary and one of the founders, Andrea Beryl, said a committee of eight locals, most of whom were performers, came together after years of having to travel to centres like Dunedin just to be part of a production. The group had already received a lot of support from the local community and had also recently been awarded a grant from Central Lakes Trust. "Everyone's really enthusiastic because there hasn't been anything like this in Wānaka for quite some time," she said. Ms Beryl could not yet disclose the amount the group had been allocated but said the generous grant would go towards its first production, Blood Brothers. The musical was written by Willy Russell, and followed the story of twins separated at birth and raised in different environments. Auditions for the musical closed a few weeks ago and the final cast has been finalised. "We can't wait to get everybody involved," Beryl said. "We've got a workshop coming up next weekend where we all meet each other . . . it's going to be great to get everybody involved on stage." She was pleased with the cast and said that although some had not performed a full musical before, almost all had some performance or singing experience. "They've been travelling to different parts of Central to perform, but to have it right here on their doorstep is amazing." The enthusiasm expressed by the local community was positive and the group had already started looking for dates for its 2026 and 2027 shows. The main goal at the moment was working on making sure Blood Brothers came together nicely to ensure the group could continue and become an integral part of Wānaka's art scene. The group was also looking for backstage helpers to assist with makeup, wardrobe and set. "We're just trying to get the show up and running and trying to have it as successful as possible. Obviously, it's the first one, so we're trying to make it a good one," Ms Beryl said.
