In 1965, the Maniototo County Council took the unusual step of purchasing the Ranfurly Hotel from local owner Bert Scheib. At the time, this was unprecedented as no other local authority in New Zealand owned a hotel with the decision attracting nationwide attention.

The vision behind this move, led by County Clerk Len Ardell, was to create a long-term source of funds that could be used to support and strengthen the local community.

In the early 1970s, the Council’s ownership was challenged by the Auditor-General. However, after a two-day hearing in the Supreme Court in Dunedin, the ruling went in favour of the Council, allowing the initiative to continue.

Building on this success, a major step forward occurred in 1974. The Council sold the Ranfurly Hotel to a newly formed company, Ranfurly Lion Hotel Co. Ltd, to raise capital for improvements and future development. At the same time, this arrangement enabled the establishment of a charitable trust to benefit the Maniototo community.

Ownership of the company was shared equally between New Zealand Breweries (50%) and the newly created Community Trust of Maniototo (50%).

The official announcement of this innovative partnership was made on 16 April 1974 marking the beginning of the Trust as we know it today.

The Trust held its first meeting on 1 May 1974. Following the sale, the Council provided the Trust with an initial working capital of $70,700. The Trust Deed granted the Trustees broad authority over how income could be distributed. The first grant of $5,000 was awarded to the Maniototo Area School for the purchase of a 16mm projector.

The original members of the Community Trust of Maniototo were:

• Mr L.G. Ardell Chairman

• Councillor G.K. Paterson Trustee

• Councillor J.M. Crutchley Trustee

• Mr R.J. Hanrahan Secretary–Treasurer

• Mr R.C. White Auditor

An additional trustee, Mr C.L.J. Inder, was appointed on 5 December 1977.

Chair

Len Ardell 1974 - 1984

Jess Crutchley 1984 - 2001

Keith Paterson 2001 - 2004

Laurie Inder 2004 - 2009

Mike Dowling 2009 - 2015

Dawn Sangster 2015 - 2023

Trustees

Len Ardell 1974 - 2010
Keith Paterson 1974 - 2004
Jess Crutchley 1974 - 2001
Bob Hanrahan 1974 - 1994
Bob White 1974 - 1997 (Auditor)
Laurie Inder 1977 - 2009
Mike Dowling 1989 - 2017
John Levido 1994 - 2016
Neville Wahrlich 2001 - 2011

Ian Kearney 1995 - 2009
Joan Dobson 2009 - 2020
Dawn Sangster 2009 - 2023
Richard Smith 2011 - 2021

John Morrison 2013 - 2023 

Val McSkimming 2016 - 2021
Alastair Watt 2017 - 2023

Judith McMillan 2020 - 2025

In October 2002, the Maniototo Community Board established the Māniatoto Trust Fund to manage funds derived from the sale of Otago Power Shares. The fund was administered by the Board and shared similar aims to the Community Trust of Maniototo, with one key distinction: grants from the Māniatoto Trust Fund were available only for capital purposes within the Maniototo area.

In 2006, trustees of the Community Trust of Maniototo met with representatives of the Māniatoto Community Board to develop a workable arrangement that would:

• Reduce confusion within the community about which trust to apply to, as the scope of each was not well understood.

• Strengthen the relationship between the two trusts to better serve the Maniototo community.

The discussions resulted in the following agreements:

• The Community Trust of Maniototo would continue to have its funds administered by its own trustees.

• The Māniatoto Trust Fund would be administered by a committee of three elected Maniototo Community Board representatives, with grants continuing to be approved for capital works only.

• A single application form would be used for both trusts, available year‑round from the Council’s service centre in Ranfurly.

• Distribution of funds would occur through joint consultation. The existing schedule of two meetings per year (May/June and December) was considered satisfactory.

• The Council’s Community Facility Officer – Maniototo would act as the contact person, with administration costs met by the Maniototo Community Board.

The deed of the Community Trust of Maniototo was constituted on 26 April 1974. The key clauses can be summarised as follows:

Appointment of Trustees  

1. The Trust must have no fewer than three trustees, each appointed for a term not exceeding five years. An exception was made for Mr Len Ardell, who remained a trustee until his death in 2010. In August 1975, he was appointed Town Clerk of Nelson City and was therefore unable to attend Trust meetings regularly, but he continued to maintain an active interest in Trust affairs as a trustee in absentia.

Distribution of Income and Capital  

2. The trustees may pay, apply, or allocate the income of the Trust—or, when they deem appropriate, any part of the Trust’s capital—for charitable purposes.

Definition of Charitable Purposes  

3. Charitable purposes include activities that support public recreation, enjoyment, health, education, instruction, culture, or general benefit to the inhabitants of the district. They may also include projects that improve, beautify, or develop public amenities within the district.

Retention of Income  

4. The trustees are not required to distribute all income in any given year. They may, at their discretion, retain part or all of it to create or build up a reserve fund, from which substantial distributions may later be made for charitable purposes.

Acceptance of Gifts  

5. The trustees may receive and accept gifts of money, investments, or other property from any individual, firm, company, society, or institution, with such gifts becoming part of the Trust Fund.

Over the years, the trust has met at least twice a year and has been able to provide financial assistance to a wide range of organisations within the Maniototo. These have included sports clubs, service organisations, health and education services, local events, sporting representatives, and various community projects.

Most grants ranged from $100 to $3,000. Two significant contributions were also made:

• $10,000 toward the construction and upgrading of the Ranfurly Swimming Pool in June 1986

• $15,400 toward the construction of the Maniototo International Curling Rink in March 2005