About the Foundation

The Montfort Trimble Foundation is a charitable Trust set up by a New Zealand Act of Parliament [Masterton District Council (Montfort Trimble Foundation) Act 2003]. 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.

Objectives

Foundation Members