September 2024
Sustainable Bay of Plenty Trust (SBOP) was established to ensure that decisions affecting all of us were being made through the lens of sustainability, especially at a systemic level. We didn’t just want a seat at the table, we wanted a voice.
Our kaupapa has been about accountability, awareness and action. Throughout the past four years we have delivered to that without apology.
We’ve been a small but dedicated team, with Glen Crowther tirelessly keeping the questions hard and the answers honest. We as a Trust and as a community owe a lot to Glen’s knowledge and integrity.
It’s because of Glen’s integrity that we’re making this announcement. Just a few months ago, Glen announced to the trustees that he was considering running for Tauranga City Council. Even though it came as a surprise, we supported his decision, knowing that it was an opportunity for him to take our kaupapa even further, even if it meant him being external to the Trust.
Then in July, Glen got elected. We knew Glen would resign from the Trust at an operational level, however he also decided to resign as a trustee, so he can give everything he has into his new role without any concern about a conflict of interest for him or the Trust.
Around the same time, Erin (our Admin Support) moved into a job that no longer allowed her to continue her part-time role with our Trust.
Following those developments, we’ve discussed at length the future of Sustainable BOP. After considering every option available to us, we’ve decided that SBOP will take a hiatus for a while.
We’ll still exist, but mostly in the background for now, watching and observing, and stepping in and up when needed. This decision has been supported by our funders, and we’re returning any funding allocated towards future activities.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thanks our incredibly supportive funders – especially our cornerstone funders, Bay Trust and BOP Regional Council, without which we wouldn’t have been operating, and our valued business sponsors Basestation, Trevelyans and Zespri.
We also wish Glen well in his new role and take some peace in the knowledge that while the Trust has lost his services, the people of Tauranga and the BOP have not.
On behalf of Glen and the trustees, we’d like to thank you all for your support over the past few years. You have inspired and supported us through some challenging times, and we cannot stress how important that has been and how much we have appreciated your time, donations and presence.
We do also have some great news. Sustainability Options will be picking up the coordination and management of Green Drinks – in both the Western Bay and Eastern Bay of Plenty!
Jo Wills has been with Sustainability Options for 10 years, and prior to that she worked for Sustainable Business Network (SBN). During her time with SBN, Jo played a fundamental role in getting Green Drinks established in the Bay of Plenty, so the movement is in great hands.
For queries regarding Tauranga Green Drinks or Eastern BOP Green Drinks, please contact Jo at jo.wills@so.org.nz or 021 2777042.
If you have any questions about Sustainable Bay of Plenty, please contact trustees:
Jo Wills jo@sustainablebop.nz 021 2777042
or
Beth Hughes beth@sustainablebop.nz 021 442644