Editorial: Trust has helped to shape our vibrant city

Kim Gillespie

As Rotorua Trust chairman Grahame Hall notes in today's feature article it's hard to imagine what our city and district might have looked like without the trust.

The trust - full name Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust - funds community projects and causes in Rotorua with money from its investments.

This week it marks its 20th birthday.

In that time it has played a major part in shaping this city - everywhere you look you'll see evidence of its activities - the Lakefront, museum, Energy Events Centre, hospital, stadium and so many more examples.

In 20 years it has given more than $90 million in grants to the community.

At this week's AGM and gathering to mark the milestone, Rotorua with its trust was described as the envy of other centres.

It's not hard to see why.

Clearly those involved - from the trustees, to the staff and those managing the investments - have played a huge part in the trust's success.

But questions have arisen in the past year over the tenure of its trustees.

It has been suggested, as it was again at this week's AGM, that trustees have term limits, meaning they wouldn't be able to stand for election after so many years on the trust.

Is this change for change's sake? Or would it ensure a more diverse range of trustees?
It must be said, it would be nice to see an element of youth on the trust.

But the mechanism is there now to achieve the same ends. It comes down to having locals willing to stand for election, and locals willing to vote them on to the trust.

Meanwhile, it would be great to see that some of the trust's funding hasn't gone to waste.

Millions of dollars have gone towards our fantastic International Stadium. Surely this venue could be put to more use. I realise other factors were at play but imagine what a great occasion it would have been had Whaka hosted the Baywide club rugby final there today.

A local victory would have been one hell of a birthday present for the local treasure that is the Rotorua Trust.