This year’s annual report is a 2013/14 calendar with our Chairman’s Review and the Trust’s financials added at the back of the calendar. Download your own copy here.
Download Rotorua Trust Summary 2013 Financial Report
Download Rotorua Trust Full 2013 Financial Report
Chairman’s Review
Kia Ora, Greetings
As a Rotorua District resident, I trust you’ll agree with me that we live in one of the most amazing communities in New Zealand surrounding by inspiring people, history, beauty and culture that is envied the world over! The Trust believes it is important that Rotorua’s strong, proud public ‘face’ matches its inner strength. That’s why we are committed to helping build a healthy, resilient community from the inside out – it’s a role we take very seriously.
The Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust’s vision is to do all we can to help create “a safe and vibrant district where people are proud to live, work, and play and where young people want to come and raise families.” Every decision we make is tested against this vision to ensure we are creating a positive impact – and we do it for you, the Trust’s ultimate beneficiary. With our vision in mind, as we look back on the past year, we’ve made good and steady progress and have been privileged to be able grant $2,156,626 to the Rotorua District Community, this year.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
- Funding without Strings: We made the decision this year to increase our ‘untagged’ operating cost funding to almost $500,000 per year, starting from 1 April 2013. This funding helps community groups fund the operating costs that keep their doors open, such as rent, salaries and wages. Because there are essentially ‘no strings attached,’ this funding allows groups to put the grant toward their areas of greatest need.
- Helping the Helpers: We’ve granted nearly $220,000 to 49 community organisations throughout the district which has helped them impact the health and well-being of thousands of people, young and old.
- Assisting the ‘Little Guys’: This year the Trust approved 154 grants under $5000 because we realise it’s the ‘little guys’ that often make the biggest difference in people’s lives. For instance, one of our smaller grants of $750 was to the Rotorua Community Toy Library who, in turn, brought joy to hundreds of children through its loan programme each year.
- Empowering the Future: 180 students benefited from $360,000 that the Trust committed this year to its Tertiary Study Awards and Waiariki Institute of Technology Scholarships. In addition to these two scholarship programmes, more than $525,000 in further grants helped fund youth programmes operated by community organisations and schools throughout the district.
- Building Community: The Trust committed approximately $500,000 to community events, which helped create fun, vibrant experiences for people of all ages.
The people and organisations we fund tell us we’re in the business of changing lives – from the older people whose support organisations can afford to keep their doors open, to the students who can now afford higher education the Trust is making a difference in our community.
Our ability to make a difference is possible due to the income we gain from our investment portfolio which is managed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Perpetual Capital Management Limited (PCML). The return of 9.7% this year saw the value of our investment portfolio increase to more than $125 million.
The improvement in the investment portfolio has seen trust funds increase to $131 million from last year’s closing value of $123 million.
I want to thank the Board members and the Management team of PCML for their prudent strategy that allows the Trust to continue investing millions into the Rotorua District each year.
I would also like to welcome John Dell and Martin Goldfinch who joined the PCML Board during the year.
In closing, I would like to sincerely thank our small team of dedicated staff, including CEO, Stuart Burns, and all my fellow Trustees for their on-going efforts and continued support throughout the year.
Thank you.
Grahame W Hall, QSO, JP
Chairman