DONATION: $75,000
Bob’s Cove Sanctuary project

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Bob’s Cove is home to many native species such as the yellow-crowned parakeet and South Island tomtit. It has the closest intact native beech forest to Queenstown, but this special area and its fauna is seriously threatened by introduced mammals such as possums, rats and stoats.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary is a landscape scale conservation project uniting the work of six major partner groups including the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust. We support approximately 100 community groups and their 1,000 volunteers, with a goal to protect our native species across the Queenstown Lakes District.

DONATION: $11,500
Creative Futures & Works
In Progress Programme

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Mobility Dogs is incredibly grateful to the Hugo Charitable Trust for their generous $50,000 grant to raise and train a future Mobility Dog puppy—aptly named, Hugo.

It takes over $50,000 to raise and train a Mobility Dog, and the Trust’s incredible support will ensure that Hugo has the best possible start in life. Over the next two years, he will learn the specialist skills needed to assist a New Zealander living with a disability, providing not just practical help but also companionship, confidence, and a greater sense of independence.

Hugo will be raised in the Queenstown Southern Lakes area, allowing the Hugo Charitable Trust team to follow his journey as he grows from a playful puppy into a highly skilled canine companion. He will learn essential tasks such as retrieving dropped items, opening doors, and even helping with everyday tasks like undressing.

Beyond these skills, Hugo will grow into a confident and capable Mobility Dog, ready to navigate the world alongside his future partner and provide life-changing support every day.

DONATION: $63,000
New school van

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We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Hugo Charitable Trust for their generous donation, which has enabled us to purchase a van for our school. This van will greatly enhance our students’ ability to participate in school trips, camps, sporting events, swimming lessons, and more, providing them with valuable learning experiences beyond the classroom.

It will also enable us to help children make the transition from early learning to school by providing additional access to school visits for families that would otherwise be unable to come. We will even be able to support families with transport difficulties by providing a school pick up and drop off service.

Thanks again to Hugo Charitable Trust, your support will make a tangible and lasting difference in the lives of our children, and we are deeply grateful for your contribution to our community. We cannot wait for our new van to be delivered!

Kā mihi nui,
Debbie Waldron, Principal

DONATION: $11,500
Creative Futures & Works
In Progress Programme

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McCahon House are committed to fostering the growth of the arts in Aotearoa by ensuring ākonga are provided with opportunities to engage with our industry and gain knowledge about realistic career pathways within our sector. Creative Futures is a Practical Skill Development Workshop looking at pathways into possible careers in the Creative Industries. It is a 3-day programme arranged during the mid-year holiday targeted at year 12 and 13 students from West Auckland high schools.

Lucinda Bennett, McCahon House Education Programme Manager, has run the 2024 iteration of Creative Futures with students from Rutherford College in Te Atatū. Lucinda explains:

“I have heard firsthand from rangatahi how mysterious and impenetrable the art sector in Aotearoa can seem – they often have no idea how they would go about pursuing a career in the arts. Through the Creative Futures programme, McCahon House is offering something really tangible, pragmatic and inspiring to invite young people into the sector… It’s really important for our young people to see and hear stories from Aotearoa, to recognise that art is made here and it matters, that they too can make art here and have it matter.”

DONATION: $45,000
New van to transport donated
bikes to disadvantaged people

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My name is Chris Foggin and I am the founder and project director of the Up-Cycles Charitable Trust. The Up-Cycles project was born out of my passion for riding bikes and decades of experience in all corners of the bike industry. I am a former police officer and subsequently was the Education Manager for Cycling NZ for 10 years and the General Manager at Cycling Southland.

Central Otago is already recognised as a great place to ride a bike, with millions of dollars coming into the community from cycle tourism, and we have the potential to be the best place on Earth to ride a bike, however there are some gaps. We have members of our community (children, young people & adults) who don’t have the capability to own or ride a bike. Those gaps, or needs, may be for reasons such as socio-economic, health & wellbeing, transport to school or work requirements, wanting to try cycle sport for the first time, or are a migrant or refugee who may need a hand-up… and that’s my philosophy…’it’s a hand-up not a hand-out’.

DONATION: $735,000
Hugo Tunnel

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More than a century has passed since plans were conceived to construct a tunnel to divert the Shotover River for gold mining. Now, sixty years after the completed tunnel was abandoned as unfit for purpose, the historic tunnel at Big Beach, will finally be used, thanks to a generous donation of $735,000 from the Hugo Charitable Trust.

After lying in ruin and disrepair, the tunnel is being repurposed as part of the new Shotover Gorge Cycle Trail. The donation from Hugo covers the restoration work for the tunnel, and in recognition of this generous contribution, the restored tunnel will be named the Hugo Tunnel.

The Hugo Tunnel is located downstream of Big Beach in the Arthurs Point area of Queenstown, and forms a part of the new Shotover Gorge Trail that links Arthurs Point to Frankton via Tucker Beach. Part of the recent Queenstown Trails expansion project linking Arrowtown, Arthurs Point and Frankton, the Shotover Gorge Trail and Hugo Tunnel form a vital ‘missing link’ to the Queenstown Trail network. The new trails connect communities within the Wakatipu Basin, providing recreational as well as active transport opportunities for both locals and the rapidly expanding cycle tourism market.

Queenstown Trails is the charitable organisation responsible for the development of the Queenstown Trail network. Founded in 2002, this small organisation of passionate individuals has facilitated the development of more than 200km of trails, catering to more than 300k trail users every year. With a mix of gravel, flow, single track and back country trails, there is something for everyone. Queenstown Trails proudly provides links between the popular QMTBC network, commuter/active travel, and the Nga Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail Great Ride.