Steering group chosen for development trust

June 6th, 2014

A group of nine people with experience in building organisations will take on the task of defining the goals and constitution of the proposed community development trust (CDT) for Motueka's future.

The steering group has been assembled following a proposal of the concept developed by Vision Motueka and endorsed by the Motueka Community Board last month (see our earlier story).

It is expected that the task of constituting the CDT and creating its framework of operation will be completed by the end of this year, enabling the new trust - which has yet to be named - to be appointed or elected and begin work next year.

Members of the steering group are:

Chris Salt, a tourist accommodation operator and initial proposer of the CDT
Linda Glew, of Vision Motueka and working with Strengthening Families
Mark Chapman, manager of Nelson DoC and a past Community Board member
Donna McLeod, from Te Awhina Marae and High School volunteer
David Armstrong, chair of Vision Motueka
Dave Moloney, chair of Our Town Motueka
Gabrielle Thorpe, acting manager of the Family Service Centre
Eva Lawrence, previously a community liaison worker with the Auckland City Council
John Fisher, who works within Keep Motueka Beautiful.

Members of the group were chosen because of their proven interest in strategic planning and an understanding of the structure and constitution of charitable trusts and community groups.

Group co-ordinator David Armstrong says members of the steering group may offer themselves as trustees later, but there is no assumption that they may end up as such.

Their first task is to agree on what steps they need to do and in what order. The most fundamental job is to decide the vision, mission, charter and objectives of the CDT.

"If you don't know exactly what the goals and purposes of the trust will be, there's no point in beginning to plan community development projects of any size," says David.

Another vital task to be done early is to talk with senior TDC councillors and managers about how the CDT would fit in with the Council's roles and what the laws and regulations allow.

David says that if Council is supportive of the trust taking on community projects that are beyond core infrastructure roles (engineering, water etc) the concept should work well. "But if Council are obstructive and want a higher level of control then it may be a waste of time."

Another task of the steering group is to decide how the CDT will relate to other key community groups such as the Community Board, Our Town Motueka, Keep Motueka Beautiful, the Motueka Arts Council and Te Awhina Marae.

It will also research similar community development trusts in other New Zealand centres, and how they are funded, as well as investigat other innovative funding models.

The end result will be the information required to allow the CDT to become a charitable trust or incorporated society, and the appointment or election of trustees.

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