Two young women have joined the Masterton Trust Lands Trust following last month’s local body elections, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience working in the community.
Monique Kloeg and Bella McClymont join the ranks as trustees alongside Bex Johnson, Christine Brewster [chair], John Bunny, Sandy Ryan, Gary Caffell, and Tom Hullena.
The Masterton Trust Lands Trust returns commercial property rental income to the community in the form of grants for educational, cultural, and community activities.
It leases 80 properties to about 100 local, national, and international tenants.
Kloeg has lived and worked in Masterton for most of her life and is the general manager of the family-owned business Ten O’clock Cookie Bakery Cafe.
Through this work, she regularly contributes to the Masterton community.
“As a business, we support many community groups, events and sports,” she said.
“One thing that we do that is close to my heart is that we support our Masterton community by ensuring a local group collects any surplus food and distributes it back to our people.”
Kloeg is a keen rugby player, enjoys contributing to Wairarapa’s sports community, and helped lead and develop women’s rugby to thrive in the region.
“I am currently on the Business Wairarapa and Youth 2 Work boards, so I believe my knowledge and connections in our community will be beneficial. I am committed to the wellbeing and education of our community and am looking forward to serving Masterton as a board trustee.”
McClymont, who is also from Masterton and has spent time living abroad, brings with her a background in the arts and commerce.
“After finishing a [Bachelor of Commerce] at Victoria, I moved overseas and spent six years living in Thailand, England, Scotland, and The Netherlands, where I did everything from divemastering to project managing.
“I moved home just before the pandemic and now work in communications.
“In my spare time, you’ll find me running a silent disco company, leading scuba diving experiences, learning the art of picture framing, and getting out on my rollerskates.”
McClymont has connections to the Trust through the funding it has provided to the local theatre “which has been a huge part of my life growing up, and more recently through learning woodturning with the Woodworkers Guild”.
“I believe education isn’t just reserved for young people in school, people should have the resources to be lifelong learners, and through the Trust, we have a real tangible way to make that possible.
“I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”
A significant project for the Trust this year has been the commissioning of four murals which now adorn Trust buildings in Masterton’s central business district.
On the commercial front, the Trust’s portfolio remains in a strong position with an almost 100 per cent occupancy rate.
Trustees set a grants target for the 2022/23 year of $1.5m and the Trust is on target to distribute this by March 2023.
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