Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) Te Puru Trust has relinquished its council-tied status.
Franklin Local Board supported that move with a decision last December, although moves to release the organisation from CCO status started a decade ago.
In 2014 former trust chair Kevin Obern and then board chair, and now Franklin Ward Cr Andy Baker, started talking about removing CCO status. Those plans stalled at the trust’s request for a few years, but another former chair, Mat Tucker, revived the move.
Baker says Te Puru Community Charitable Trust was formed in 2002 by the then Manukau City Council to complete and run the community centre, with appointments delegated to the board in 2022 at the trust’s request.
“A lot of committed and capable people have contributed to Te Puru becoming the sporting heart of the growing Beachlands-Maraetai community,” he says.
“That goes back more than 20 years to those who first took up the challenge of completing the centre, and to those who have followed and overseen its growth and development.
“In all that time one thing has remained constant, a commitment to a vision of creating and maintaining an ever-adapting active hub for the community.”
Now Franklin Local Board chair Angela Fulljames says the trust has ambitious goals and people dedicated to delivering them.
“We salute all those who have put themselves forward in the past to make Te Puru what it is, and we know the existing board is equally determined to ensure the area has access to a quality facility that meets local’s leisure and sporting needs.”
“Having Te Puru as part of the city’s facilities network meant about a third of its funding came from council, with the rest coming from a variety of sources such as hire fees and food and beverage sales.
“Now the trust will be able to apply for funding from outside sources without risking being turned down because it is seen as part of council.”
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