About the Foundation
The Montfort Trimble Foundation is a charitable Trust set up by a New Zealand Act of Parliament. The purpose of the act is to perpetuate the wishes expressed in the will of Dr Montfort Trimble of Masterton. Dr Trimble died in 1940 and left money to promote public afforestation. Read about Dr Trimble’s life here. His trustees appointed the Masterton County Council to act on their behalf and the Council used the money to buy 127ha of land 17km north of Masterton and planted it in Pinus Radiata.
Two crops of pines have been harvested from the land and the Trimble Foundation is charged with administering the income from the trees to further public afforestation. The Foundation has used part of the money from the sale of trees to purchase Rewanui, a property with areas of native bush that the Foundation wishes to protect and enhance.
Although the majority of Trimble Foundation members are elected during local body elections there is no rate payers money involved in the setup or running of the Foundation’s operations.
Objects as stated in the Act setting up the Trimble Foundation
The objects of the Foundation are to promote public afforestation by:
- The production and care of timber for economic purposes.
- The maintenance of forests.
- Providing a supply of timber for public wants.
- Assisting the Masterton District Council to establish forests.
- Providing for the conservation of native and commercial forests.
- Amenity and protection planting and their maintenance.
The foundation has seven members, four are elected by the residents of the old Masterton County Council, two are appointed by the Masterton District Council and one appointed by the Guardian Trust as trustees of the original Trimble estate.
The foundation came into being in June 2004 in accordance with the Masterton District Council (Montfort Trimble Foundation) Act 2003.
After the 2004 local body elections two of the elected members will retire at each local body election and are able to be re-elected.
After the 2010 elections the Foundation members are:
- Ian Campbell (elected for two terms and chairman)
- Roddy McKenzie (elected for two terms)
- Steve Blakemore (appointed by the Masterton District council)
- Judith Callaghan (appointed by the Masterton District council)
- Liz Waddington (elected for two terms in 2007)
- Mike Wyeth (elected for two terms in 2007)
- Andy Pottinger (appointed by the Guardian Trust)
Richard Hall, Liz Waddington, Judith Callaghan and Mike Wyeth discussing possibilities on Rewanui.
Original Trimble Foundation Members with one of the matai trees in the Trimble forest. From the left are Mike Wyeth, Roddy McKenzie, Jim Weston, Richard Hall, John Kirby and Ian Campbell (kneeling). Dermot Payton is not present.
