The Trust is delighted that the Council has set up a joint working party with us to discuss our future. The Trust was initiated in 2010 by the Council as a CCO (Council Controlled Organisation) with a one-off funding grant, and has been using the funds to secure public access and purchase conservation land creating a wonderful legacy for the future. We’ve developed the Te Ara Pātaka tramping network, mapped and marketed all the walks on Banks Peninsula, own Rod Donald Hut, secured public access on several formerly private land crossings and helped secure over 450ha in new and extended pubic biodiversity reserves. We’ve supported organisations sharing our kaupapa such as Orton Bradley Park and Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust to develop too.
The Trust has now been operating for 9 years, working carefully to get the maximum value from its funds through partnering with other organisations and seed funding many exciting initiatives like Pest Free Banks Peninsula to get them off the ground. The Trust still has over 60% of its original fund left, but we are aware that our model of spending the capital to purchase land and seed fund projects means it won’t last forever, so we have approached the Council to discuss our long term future as it enters its next 10 year Long Term Plan cycle. Looking to the future we see great value in this organisation continuing and we are pleased that our founding organisation, Christchurch City Council, values our work too.
To find out more about our many successful projects to date and our future goals – please watch our beautiful film and download our Strategic Plan.