The Northland Regional Council Community Trust has a new Chairman and two new members.

Existing trustee Andrew Britton, a Whangarei accountant, has been reappointed for a new three-year term and formally confirmed as the trust’s new Chairman. Mr Britton replaces former Chairman Mike Simm (a company director/business consultant of Kerikeri) whose term as a trustee had expired.

Meanwhile, Regional Council Chief Executive Officer Ken Paterson and the Council’s Strategy and Planning Director Lawrayne Hughes (subs: crrct Lawrayne) have also been appointed to the six member-trust, which operates as Enterprise Northland.

Unlike the other four trust members, the NRC staff – the first to be appointed to the 13-year-old trust - will not be paid for their trustee roles.

An independent consultants’ report on the trust last year made a number of recommendations for its future, include that it have a broader focus designed to strategically grow Northland’s economy.

Central to that will be the creation of a ‘Regional Growth Strategy’, setting out a long-term direction and strategy for Northland’s economic development.

Northland Regional Council Chairman Mark Farnsworth today paid tribute to former trustees Mike Simm, Richard Drake and Jane Hindle - whose terms had expired - for their efforts to advance the region. “In particular I’d like to acknowledge Mr Simm for his contribution during the time he chaired the trust.”

Meanwhile, Mr Farnsworth says existing trustee Rawson Wright – a Whangarei company director - has also been reappointed for another three-year term. Mr Wright joins existing Whangarei-based trustees Bill Shepherd, a farmer and businessman and business consultant Irene Durham. (Mr Shepherd and Ms Durham’s terms do not expire until November this year.)

The new appointments were confirmed by Regional Councillors recently and the new trust has subsequently held its first meeting in Whangarei.

The NRCCT was formed in 1996 with the proceeds of the sale of some of the Regional Council’s majority shareholding in the Northland Port Corporation.

It has two subsidiaries; regional marketing body Destination Northland Ltd (set up in 1997) and the Enterprise Northland Trust (established in 2002) which supports economic development and sustainable business.