Te Mata Park is managed by a board of trustees, made up of seven voluntary members. Under the Trust Deed, the Board must include a male descendant of the original grantors, with the remaining six being residents of Hawke’s Bay and including two councillors of Hastings District Council.
The objectives of the Trust Board are to:
- Retain the special character of the Park and protect it for future generations.
- Balance preservation, conservation and sustainability with the interests of Park users and visitors.
- Offer all Park users the opportunity to explore and experience the Park.
- Promote the cultural, historical and environmental significance of the Park.
Current Trustees
The current Trustees are:
Mike Devonshire (Chairman)
Following an early career in rural property management and investment banking, Mike established his own business consultancy in 2002 and has since worked with a wide range of clients providing transactional, strategic and governance advice.
Brian (Bruno) Chambers
Bruno is a local farmer with land adjoining the Park. He is the great grandson of Thomas Mason Chambers, one of the original grantors of the Trust. Bruno is passionate about the Park and its surrounding environs and strongly supports environmental sustainability initiatives.
Ian Gold
With over 30 years of business and commercial experience, Ian has an excellent understanding of land use and the mechanics of many primary production systems and a strong network of relationships across the rural sector.
Jonathan Hensman
Jonathan has enjoyed 34 years in education and 19 as Headmaster of two schools in Australia and New Zealand. Jonathan brings considerable governance experience to the Trust, having served on five boards, as well as mentoring and consulting to education executives, on performance and governance matters.
Michael Bate
Michael is a solicitor with over 20 years’ experience providing legal advice for commercial clients, as well as having been a business owner for 14 years. Michael also brings extensive governance experience to the Te Mata Park Trust Board, having served on numerous boards, including nine years with Presbyterian Support East Coast.
Rose Mohi
Rose’s whakapapa (ancestory) is closely aligned with Te Mata Park. She is of Ngāti Hawea and Ngāti Mihiroa, two leading hapu of Heretaunga, who owned the Te Mata Park Trust land prior to it being sold to John Chambers in 1862.
Councillor Malcom Dixon
Malcolm is in his second term as a councillor representing the Hastings / Havelock North ward. Malcolm has spent a career in education and retired in 2014 after spending his last twenty one years as the Principal of Frimley Primary School in Hastings. For the last six years he has been a Sport HB Board of Trustees member and is also a member of the HB District Health Board Consumer Council.
Councillor George Lyons
George farms near Bridge Pa and has been a Hastings District Councillor since 2103 and is one of the two Council representatives on the Te Mata Trust Board. A qualified mediator he also provides training and support for school boards of trustees and is currently chairman of the Kimi Ora school board in Flaxmere.
