Charity and community leaders mark 100 years of Thomas George Macarthy Trust

The life and legacy of Wellington businessman, brewer and benefactor Thomas George Macarthy will be honoured by charity and community leaders at Government House this Friday.

Upon Macarthy’s death on 19 August 1912, the TG Macarthy Trust was incorporated with the purpose of supporting charities and education organisations from Turangi to Wellington.

Since then, the Trust has distributed almost $60 million to schools, kindergartens, play centres, kohanga reo, Pacific Island language groups and other community organisations such as St John’s Ambulance, NZ Plunket and Ronald McDonald House.

Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae will host the charity and community leaders at a High Tea at Government House to launch the centenary of the Trust and celebrate the life and legacy of Thomas George Macarthy. This is the first of several centenary events, including an exhibition that will travel around the region during the centenary year.

Earlier this year, Macarthy was inducted into the Fairfax Media NZ Business Hall of Fame for his brewing enterprises and business interests. The celebrations at Government House this Friday will be focused on Macarthy’s role as generous benefactor.

The TG Macarthy Trust is governed by a Board including the Governor-General, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Archbishop of Wellington John Dew and Roger Sowry as the Prime Minister’s representative.

Public Trust is the trustee for the Trust, and advises the Board on investment and grant strategies. Public Trust also performs the administrative functions of the Trust, including management of applications, distribution of grants and evaluation of the social impact of grants.

“As trustee, we feel privileged to administer this Trust. It’s wonderful to see the positive impact Thomas George Macarthy continues to have on people throughout the region,” Public Trust Chief Executive Grenville Gaskell says.

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a man who has contributed so much to so many different areas of society, and to highlight the contribution he makes to our communities to this day.

“A century on, the Trust is in extremely good shape for the next hundred years.”

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More information

More information about the Trust (including video) and some of its recipients is available at www.tgmacarthytrust.org.nz.

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