Trustees
BRONWYN
Tubman
ARNOLD
van Straalen
Hi everyone,
My name is Bronwyn Tubman and together with my husband Mike and son Sam we moved to Ōtorohanga from Cambridge. My family and friends have been farming in this area for many years and we could see it was a great district to be part of. For me, Ōtorohanga is a rural town with a big heart. A resilient town with a strong community and amazing people who look out for each other. We feel very lucky and privileged to have become part of the Ōtorohanga community,
and love everything that Ōtorohanga has to offer.
I have always been passionate about volunteering, with my first volunteering endeavor in form six with the Interact Club (youth version of Rotary) followed by a period with Women’s Refuge during my first year at Waikato University. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to hold many volunteer roles including Treasurer for the Riding for the Disabled (Cambridge), Chair of Volunteering Waikato, Rotary Sunrise, and Treasurer of the Waikato branch of the Human Resource Institute. Having spent 15 years working in the not for profit sector with 10 of these years with New Zealand Red Cross I’ve seen firsthand how important strong, diverse and connected local communities are. These days, my day job involves working alongside Mike in our automotive workshop in Turongo Street. In my spare time I enjoy trail running, driving my Mini around New Zealand and pottering in my garden. I have been part of the Charitable Trust as a trustee for the past five years. It is immensely rewarding to see the positive way financial grants from the Trust can and have benefited our local communities. I am proud of what the Trust has achieved so far and look forward to the future and the further work that there is to be done.
Kia ora,
My name is Arnold van Straalen I hope you are all enjoying the New Year and have had time to spend with Family & Friends over the Festive Season. What a wonderful community and part of the world we live in !
My Parents, 3 siblings & I moved onto a town supply dairy farm in Ōtorohanga June 1972. As the family grew in height & numbers to a total of 9. An orchard and roadside store Waitomo Orchards grew out of the rich fertile land of Ōtorohanga and from there The Big Apple Restaurant which opened in 1995.
I attended local schools and married a local girl from Otewa, Kim (nee Jones) & we raised our beautiful children Kendall, Tori & Ashley all in Ōtorohanga.
Last Monday 28th of January, our family lost my mother-in-law Val Jones, we were fortunate to have her Tangi and Service at our home in Ōtorohanga, Ōtorohanga was her home and she loved Ōtorohanga and Ōtorohanga loved her, we were blown away by the diverse array of our community who paid respect and attended the celebration of her life.
I am so happy and proud to part of the Ōtorohanga Community, I have been part of the Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust as a Trustee since 2015 and are very proud of what has been achieved and what we as a trust are able to give back to the community from the generosity of what others have donated.
Kia Ora,
My name is Daniel Ormsby.
I was born and grew up in Ōtorohanga. I currently live in Hangatiki and work in Waitomo. I am Ngati Maniapoto and belong to Ngati Maniapoto hapu.
I have been an artist since about 2000, specialising in maori arts. Primarily woodcarving and Moko. I have met many people with these art forms and feel a great sense of pride and responsibility maintaining the purposes and integrity of the traditions pertaining to them.
Kia ora,
My name is Barbara Jones, and I came to Ōtorohanga with my husband Tim and three small children in 1992. I was born in Wanganui and have lived –never for more than three years - in many different places; Foxton, Ohakune, Upper Hutt, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Warkworth, Israel, England and Napier. However there must be something special about Ōtorohanga, because I am still here all these years and one child later! Tim is a partner at Osbornes
Chartered Accountants.
BARBARA
Jones
Our four children, Dan, Gen, Nick and Sophie attended Ōtorohanga South School and Ōtorohanga College, and I have taught at South School in various capacities for many years. Nick and Sophie also had the privilege of attending schools in Canada (Nick) and Belgium (Sophie) for a year as Rotary exchange students. We have hosted four exchange students in our home over the years - Joaquin and Trini from Chile, Helo from Brazil and Emil from Denmark. We were members of the Methodist Church in Ōtorohanga until it closed, and since then we have attended Te Awamutu Bible Chapel. I am passionate about helping the more vulnerable members of our community, particularly children and the elderly. I believe we live in a very special community, and I am excited to be a part of this Trust, which aims to help improve the lives of all who live here.
I also love the freedom of paint. Particularly abstract
which challenges logical thinking. I have been involved in teaching and coaching again since 2000, also with great success. My strengths here are the ability to gain respect and trust and to inspire and provoke deeper thought and insight. No matter what I teach or coach my goals are always the same, to promote high standards, to be mindful and respectful of others, to communicate, to empathize and to approach situations with a positive attitude whenever possible.
Thanks for reading!
DANIEL
Ormsby
Kia Ora,
My name is Andrea Pye and I have lived in Ōtorohanga since 1999 with my husband Nathan Pye. We have two teenage children, Dion and Jorja. I came from a small town community in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula where I enjoyed living for my first 20 years. I've really enjoyed the whānau / family vibe that Ōtorohanga people give out to residents and other people in our area. I have over the years been involved with different committees such as plunket, play centre, Ōtorohanga
Athletics Club.
Kia Ora,
My name is Kim Ingham and I became a Trustee in December 2014, and the Chairperson in
June 2016.
My family has been living in Ōtorohanga since 1931 when my great grandfather Claude Hotson became the Principal of Ōtorohanga College. It was then known as a District High School and had a roll of 1100 students. My husband Robert and I both attended
Ōtorohanga College, as did our two children
Cayley and Karn.
ANDREA
Pye
KIM
Ingham
I was forever involved and supported my children's schools where I could, and am currently a ‘champion’ for Ōtorohanga helping to promote "its okay to ask for help" the family violence campaign. I have been a teacher in the early childhood sector since 2005 and qualified in this field with a degree in 2010. I joined the Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust board as a trustee member in 2016, and love what we do for our community. I am very excited to be involved again with helping others in our community and enjoy working alongside others with a similar passion as myself.
I have been involved in a volunteer capacity continuously in the community since 1995, with
roles in Plunket, Kindergarten, and PTA committees, followed by 3 full terms as a Board of
Trustee member for Ōtorohanga South School and Ōtorohanga College.
I have also been involved in sport, coaching netball locally and regionally for more than 15
years. I am still delivering Meals on Wheels on behalf of the Red Cross which I began in 1995,
and am currently working through the process to become a Justice of the Peace.
It has been a phenomenal time of growth for the Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust with our Trust
owned incredible building Ōtorohanga Medical opening in June 2019. The Trustees are hugely
grateful to our local community for financially supporting the vision of the Trust, and our very
successful OTO100 project. The community will be strengthened by having a both a strong
Trust and a built for purpose facility to house expanded medical services for the community.
The Trust is now able to plan and work strategically not only within itself, but also with other
Trusts and groups within our community. We also are exploring other avenues locally to
expand, as we have more funding support potentially becoming available to us.
I have been completely inspired by our community throughout my time as Chairperson
particularly, and I enjoy working with the wonderful and skilled group of Trustees we have.
I believe this Trust has the ability to make positive, meaningful projects and initiatives eventuate,
and I look forward to seeing our visions become reality for the district of Ōtorohanga.
He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
BOB
Strawbridge
DEB
Wilshier
Bob Strawbridge has been a Trustee of Ōtorohanga Charitable Trust since 2013. Bob grew up on a dairy farm in Ōtorohanga, before moving away to study Business Management at Waikato University. He returned to Ōtorohanga in 2000, joining a local accounting practice, and becoming a Partner in McKenzie Strawbridge, Chartered Accountants. Bob brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the board. Bob is also a Trustee of the Beattie Community Trust Inc. and a member of the Ōtorohanga District Development Board. In his spare time he enjoys playing bridge with family and friends.
Hi,
I’m Deb Wilshier and have been a trustee since December 2015.
I have lived in Ōtorohanga all my life and have been a very passionate and active member of this community during these years.
I have had the opportunity to devote many years to being a mum to our three beautiful adult daughters Sam, Lucy and Ali. I also continuously support my husband Steve Wilshire with our family business - Ōtorohanga Timber Company. I appreciate the communities needs, and really enjoy supporting our locals with grants.