Changing Of The Guard At Trust House A Watershed

The appointment of Mena Antonio as chair of Trust House signals a watershed for one of Wairarapa’s most established and prominent organisations.

Ms Antonio replaces Jock Kershaw as chair of Trust House Limited and Trust House Foundation.

She is the first woman to hold the top elected positions of the community owned organisation.

One of the largest community housing providers in New Zealand, Trust House owns, operates and manages 483 rental properties in the Wairarapa and Tararua. It also owns and operates a range of businesses in the lower North Island, including multi-segment bars, a large hotel (Copthorne Solway Park in Masterton) and a boutique hydro-electric scheme. Via the Masterton Community Trust, Trust House distributes profits, from gaming revenue, back to the community in the form of grants and sponsorship.

The organisation dates back to 1947. It took more than 65 years before women were elected to a governance role. Today, four of the six-member board of directors are women.

The latest governance changes, initiated by the resignation of Mr Kershaw, also include the appointment of Bex Johnson to the board, joining Lucy Griffiths and Toni Kennerley (an independent). Other board members are David Henry and Stuart Campbell, (both are independent appointments).

Notable also is the diversity within the organisation’s leadership hierarchy; Ms Antonio is Pasifika, and chief executive Charles Kaka, Maori.

Ms Antonio says she is humbled to be elected as chair.

“I think it represents a cultural shift within the organisation that has been underway for several years,” Ms Antonia says.

“It also reaffirms the greater focus that the organisation has on housing outcomes.”

That shift gained momentum when Charles Kaka was appointed as chief executive in mid-2020, replacing Allan Pollard, she says.

“What drives me is the belief that we are not servicing houses, we are in service of our tenants and in service of our customers.”

Ms Antonio is also Chief Executive of the Catholic social justice agency Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jock Kershaw says he feels “very privileged” to have been involved with the Trust House Group over the last 21 years.

He was first elected in 2001 as a Trustee of the Masterton Licensing Trust now known as the Masterton Community Trust (MCT). He served as a Director for 14 years, seven of those as Chair.

Mr Kershaw flagged earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election and it therefore made sense to stand-down to give his successor time to adjust ahead of the next Local Body Elections, he says. Mr Kershaw will remain a trustee on the Masterton Community Trust until the October elections.

“I do believe I have left the company in better financial shape than at the time of my appointment as Chairman,” Mr Kershaw says.

“I have confidence that the remaining directors and trustees will continue to run the Trust House Group to the highest standard in association with the Senior Management Team.”

ENDS

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