Nine candidates have been nominated to fill five publicly elected seats on the Central Lakes Trust (CLT) board, which distributes millions of dollars in community funding across Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. 

The nominees are: Mark Christie, Dave Currie, Kathy Dedo (existing trustee), Alexa Forbes, Neil Gillespie, Tony Lepper (existing trustee), Chris Phoon, Michael Rewi, and Trudi Webb (existing trustee). 

The nominees bring a mix of experience from local government, community organisations, health, and business. 

Highlights among the candidates: Mark is a trustee of Bannockburn Arts Charitable Trust; Dave was chef de mission for New Zealand at several Olympics and Commonwealth Games; Kathy was co-manager of the Community Link Upper Clutha; Alexa is a retiring Otago regional councillor based in Queenstown; Neil is a retiring Central Otago district councillor based in Lowburn; Tony is a former Central Otago mayor with a background in horticulture; Chris is an orthopaedic surgeon in Queenstown; Michael leads Mana Tāhuna Charitable Trust; and Trudi runs a family orchard in Cromwell.

Neither sitting trustees Jim Boult, a former Queenstown Lakes mayor, nor Lindsay Breen, of construction company Breen, are standing for re-election.

Voting opens on October 16, when voter packs are mailed to electors, and election day is November 21, with voting closing at midday. 

Preliminary results will be posted as soon as possible, while the final result will be published by November 25. 

The five elected trustees will join three appointed trustees to guide CLT’s grant-making and investment decisions.  

The trust, founded in 2000, has distributed more than $168M back to the community and manages assets totalling nearly $600M. 

Candidate profiles have been published on the CLT website.

Read more: Design a tea towel for Central Lakes Trust 25th birthday

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