# Mountains To Sea Conservation Trust

**Charities Register number:** CC23406
**Status:** Registered
**Registered since:** 2008-04-23
**Sector:** Education
**ICNPO group:** Education and Research
**Region:** Whangārei
**NZBN:** 9429043001552
**IRD donee status:** yes — donations may qualify for a tax credit

## Purpose

The Northland-based Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust was established in 2002, as a charitable umbrella and support organisation for the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) marine education and Whitebait Connection (WBC) freshwater education programmes. These are both leading models in education for sustainability in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Trust sees education as a vital part of society and central to all environmental restoration. Both programmes involve young people, their parents and the wider community. Our programmes reinforce simple concepts such as the uniqueness of our freshwater and marine biodiversity and provide an active focus on conservation of these environments through education and action. Our goal is to empower and support communities to achieve marine and freshwater conservation through science based experiential programmes, resources, projects and community engagement. Our purpose is further described in our Trust deed objectives.

## CharityData rating

- **Grade:** B (79.5 / 100)
- **Financial health:** 100/100
- **Governance:** 65/100
- **Transparency:** 85/100
- **Computed:** 2026-09-26 (methodology 3.11)
- **Flags raised by the methodology:** 1
  - trustees holding many concurrent board roles

Ratings are an analytical view computed from this charity's own filings to the Charities Register, using a published methodology: https://charitydata.co.nz/charity-insights/methodology. They are not advice and not a statement about any individual.

## Latest annual return (year ended 2025-03-31)

- **Total revenue:** NZ$10.34M
- **Total expenses:** NZ$10.24M
- **Surplus / deficit:** NZ$96k
- **Total assets:** NZ$4.44M
- **Total liabilities:** NZ$4.17M
- **Net assets:** NZ$268k
- **Cash reserves:** NZ$4.18M
- **Government grants:** NZ$9.01M (87.2% of revenue)
- **Donations:** NZ$71k
- **Staff costs:** NZ$0
- **Paid staff:** 40
- **Volunteers:** 22
- **Source filing (PDF):** https://register.charities.govt.nz/Document/DownloadPdf?pdfType=AnnualReturnSummary&relatedId=0d2c496f-c60e-f011-bb41-0022480ffcd1&isPublic=true

All figures are as filed by the charity with Charities Services, in New Zealand dollars.

## Filing history

| Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Surplus/deficit | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-31 | NZ$10.34M | NZ$10.24M | NZ$96k | NZ$268k |
| 2024-03-31 | NZ$7.20M | NZ$7.05M | NZ$147k | NZ$10 |
| 2023-03-31 | NZ$1.59M | NZ$1.64M | not disclosed | NZ$24k |
| 2022-03-31 | NZ$962k | NZ$942k | not disclosed | NZ$77k |
| 2021-03-31 | NZ$723k | NZ$781k | not disclosed | NZ$57k |
| 2020-03-31 | NZ$785k | NZ$800k | not disclosed | NZ$116k |
| 2019-03-31 | NZ$602k | NZ$578k | not disclosed | NZ$102k |
| 2018-03-31 | NZ$602k | NZ$578k | not disclosed | NZ$102k |
| 2017-03-31 | NZ$597k | NZ$578k | not disclosed | NZ$79k |
| 2016-03-31 | NZ$399k | NZ$380k | not disclosed | NZ$60k |

## Governance

- **Officers on the register:** 7 current (24 including former)
- **Chair recorded:** no
- **Paid executives disclosed:** 13
- **Executive remuneration bands:** under NZ$100k, NZ$100k–150k
- **Auditor:** Bennetts and Associates
- **Most recent audit opinion:** unqualified

Individual officers and trustees are not listed here. Their names are on the public Charities Register (https://register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/ViewCharity?accountId=CC23406) and on the charity's profile page.

## Disclosed funders

- **Foundation North** (foundation) — NZ$1.52M, year ended 2026-03-31
- **Foundation North** (foundation) — NZ$794k, year ended 2025-03-31
- **Foundation North** (foundation) — NZ$447k, year ended 2022-03-31
- **Foundation North** (foundation) — NZ$331k, year ended 2020-03-31
- **Foundation North** (foundation) — NZ$160k, year ended 2019-03-31
- **The Tindall Foundation** (foundation) — NZ$30k, year ended 2023-06-30
- **Pub Charity Limited** (foundation) — NZ$10k, year ended 2021-12-31

## Data freshness

- Register details: as of 2026-09-24
- Financials: last updated 2026-09-25
- Rating: computed 2026-09-26
- This document generated: 2026-09-30

Figures are as filed. A charity that has filed since the dates above may have newer numbers on the Charities Register.

## More data

- Charity profile: https://charitydata.co.nz/charities/mountains-to-sea-conservation-trust
- Structured facts (JSON): https://charitydata.co.nz/api/v1/charities/mountains-to-sea-conservation-trust/facts.json
- Short summary: https://charitydata.co.nz/api/v1/charities/mountains-to-sea-conservation-trust/summary.md
- Rating methodology: https://charitydata.co.nz/charity-insights/methodology
- Official register entry: https://register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/ViewCharity?accountId=CC23406
- Charity website: https://www.mountainstosea.org.nz

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Published by [CharityData NZ](https://charitydata.co.nz). Canonical: https://charitydata.co.nz/charities/mountains-to-sea-conservation-trust. Primary source: Charities Services (Ngā Rātonga Kaupapa Atawhai), Department of Internal Affairs. Analytical scores are CharityData's own, computed under a published methodology, and are not advice. Generated 2026-09-30T12:30:00.725Z.