Meet our people

Prior to his appointment as Trust House CEO in July 2023, John spent 25 years as CEO of several diverse organisations – the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington, Presbyterian Support Southland, and the Community Trust of Southland – and prior to that spent 15 years in public practice accountancy and finance roles in New Zealand and the UK.

John enjoys utilising his financial and commercial experience in community-centred businesses such as Trust House. “The key thing for me is achieving balance between our commercial imperatives, and enhancing the community we exist to serve.”

John is now a permanent resident in Masterton, and looking forward to immersing himself in the local community.

Will is an experienced CFO having previously held similar roles at Centreport and The Wellington Company.  In these roles Will gained valuable financing and property investment/development experience to augment accounting and leadership skills. Will is excited to work for Trust House in our vibrant Wairarapa community.

Jill managers the day-to-day operations of our flagship hotel Copthorne Solway Park Wairarapa. Jill enjoys the fact that Trust House is an “active company within the community making a positive difference. And most of all, they care about the people that work for them..

Patrick will become the key contact across the business for all aspects of the Housing portfolio plus our other commercial buildings. Patrick will also be responsible for the Kourarau hydro-electric scheme.Patrick brings with him a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experiences from his previous roles as:

• General builder
• Collections team with Ministry of Justice
• Commercial property manager
• Maintenance and Lease Manager with Housing NZ
• Social Housing Manager with Napier Trust
• Projects Lead and Property Manager with Hastings District and Central Hawke’s Bay Councils

Lucy Griffiths has been on the Trust for four terms and is currently Chair of the Masterton Community Trust Net Proceeds Committee and is Deputy Chair of Trust House.

Her passions in the community include The Songbirds, Westside Playcentre, Hōkai Tahi - Crisis Pregnancy and Baby loss, Lighthouse Church, Shepherd’s Rural Agri group, and Master’s swimming. She loves the outdoors and can often be found biking to meetings or running in the Tararua’s. Her consultancy Business, Innov8 Aotearoa assists food and beverage companies throughout NZ to sell and market their products with a focus on Export.

Aside from her Masterton interests,  Lucy Chair’s The Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund IAP, is a Director of Great South (Regional Development agency) and Chair’s Brackenridge Country Retreat & Spa in Martinborough.

Lucy and her husband Simon live on a Lifestyle block with their two young boys and they enjoy the fabulous climate, people and opportunities that the Wairarapa has to offer.

Bex Johnson’s career has been primarily in media sales and management having worked in print, radio and television in a number of competitive markets through New Zealand. Bex has won a number of national awards for both radio and print sales as well as Station of the Year and Service Provider of the Year as General Manager of Mediaworks Rotorua and Wairarapa.

Bex now works fulltime undertaking community and trust work. Additional to her Masterton Community Trust and Trust House Board roles, Bex is a Masterton District Councillor and trustee of Masterton Trust Lands Trust. She also supports the Masterton Theatre Company, SPCA Wairarapa and Friends of Aratoi.

Bex is married to Bill who manages Masterton Club. They have two sons and 6 grandchildren.

Karl has been an elected Trustee of the Masterton Licensing Trust from 2007- 2016, an elected member of Masterton Trust Lands Trust from 2001 until 2019 and is now president of the Masterton Community Trust. Karls governance and administrative experience includes a range of organisations. He was President of Masterton Rotary Club, Carterton Rugby Football Club, Masterton Bowling Club and a trustee of Wairarapa College Board of Trustees. Karl has also held a Holiday Shoppe travel franchise. Karl was raised in Carterton and attended Wairarapa College. He went on to be admitted as a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Travel and Tourism. Karl has lived in Masterton all of his business life where most of that time has been in the travel industry. Karl is a keen sportsman and has been heavily involved over the years in rugby, athletics, cricket and squash, and currently plays outdoor bowls.

Stuart was appointed as an independent Director in 2019 and is Chair of the Audit and Risk committee.

Stuart is a Chartered Accountant, a farmer, a Manawatu District Councillor and Trustee/Director of several other wellbeing focused entities.

He has career experience in hospitality, social housing and philanthropy.

Stuart is married to Lyn and lives on his family farm at Taonui, near Feilding. He has two adult children.

Don is a Certified Management Consultant and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.

Corrie has a decade of experience in business management. He is trustee for Wairarapa Sports Education Trust and a committee member of Homebush Working Party. He is an active member of Business Leaders Network. Corrie brings his operations management, business planning and team leadership skills to the table. At present he is Store Manager / Shareholder at Tumu Masterton..