Roger Handford, in his July 12 letter, queried the absence of a Trust Tairāwhiti grant to Hear4U. In the absence of a direct application to the trust, it’s unlikely that the trust would exercise its originating power and make a spontaneous grant. 

Of course, the trustees would have to be certain that any such grant was consistent with the purposes of the trust. Apart from having to preserve the value of the trust fund, the purpose of the trust is to provide for the beneficiaries in one of two ways, as set out in the deed which established the trust. There are two purposes. 

First, paying for or subsidising electrical reticulation in the district. The second purpose is “supporting business, community and other initiatives which in the opinion of the trustees are likely to encourage or sustain economic growth within the district that is or may be applied directly or indirectly for the benefit of the beneficiaries”. 

I suggest that the means of providing for beneficiaries as the trustees might decide is not in itself a purpose and must be in line with one or other of the outlined purposes. Hear4U is not involved in electrical distribution within the district and so any grant to that body must be such that it be likely to encourage or sustain economic growth. Those words are not synonymous with regional wellbeing, but they are, erroneously I believe, interpreted as such by the trust. 

G. Webb