George Mason Charitable Trust — Environment Charity in New Plymouth
George Mason Charitable Trust is a Charitable Trust charity in the Environment sector, based in New Plymouth, New Plymouth. This organisation also provides funding to other charities. CharityData rates this charity B (79.5/100). Annual revenue: $20.1M NZD. Financial data as at March 2026.
Mission: To provide post graduate scholarships in the biological sciences, make grants to persons undertaking biological science research, to assist local area persons who intend to study for a degree or diploma in science, promote the advancement of education in the performing and visual arts and provision for the sick and infirm. To co-operate with any other person/persons, institution, company, club, society etc to promote, achieve, support or maintain the following activities; publication of books, manuscripts, journals etc which support or maintain any of the foregoing activities.
- Registration Number
- CC10088
- Charity Type
- Charitable Trust
- Registration Date
- 2007-03-19
- Status
- Active
- CharityData Rating
- B (79.5/100)
- Sector
- Environment
- Location
- New Plymouth, New Plymouth
- barry@upson-associates.co.nz
- Funder Status
- Grant-making charity (charitable_trust)
- Data as at
- March 2026
Beneficiaries: Children / young people, General public, Other charities, Other - All
Financial Summary
- Total Revenue
- $20.1M NZD
- Total Expenses
- $15.6M NZD
- Total Assets
- $11.4M NZD
- Net Assets
- $11.4M NZD
- Reserve Months
- 7.7 months of operating expenses
- Financial Year End
- 2026-03-31
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $20.1M | $15.6M | $11.4M |
| 2025 | $0.6M | $0.5M | $6.9M |
| 2024 | $1.2M | $0.1M | - |
| 2023 | $0.2M | $0.4M | $7.9M |
| 2022 | $0.3M | $0.4M | $8.4M |
| 2021 | $1.7M | $0.5M | $8.6M |
| 2020 | $0.4M | $0.3M | $7.4M |
| 2019 | $0.5M | $0.5M | $8.1M |
| 2018 | $0.5M | $0.3M | $8.1M |
| 2017 | $0.4M | $0.3M | $7.9M |
CharityData Rating
- Overall Grade
- B
- Overall Score
- 79.5/100
- Financial Score
- 90
- Governance Score
- 55
- Transparency Score
- 65
Board Members and Officers
Current Officers (3)
| Name | Role | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Elise Smith | Trustee | 2024-01-25 |
| Brian Milestone | Trustee | 2021-12-07 |
| Barry Upson | Trustee | 2013-02-21 |
Former Officers (4)
- Peter Dryden — Trustee (departed 2024-03-31)
- John Brodie Matthews — Trustee (departed 2013-01-01)
- John Sutherland Auld — Trustee (departed 2020-03-02)
- George William Mason — Trustee (departed 2024-09-13)
Similar Charities in Environment
- Trust For The Destruction Of Synthetic Refrigerants — Environment
- Maungaharuru-Tangitū Charitable Trust — Environment
- Orana Wildlife Trust — Environment
- Karori Sanctuary Trust — Environment
- Predator Free Dunedin Trust — Environment
George Mason Charitable Trust
Financial data as at March 2026. Sourced from Charities Services register.
Reasons to look carefully (1)
These structural observations are drawn from public data and are worth considering before a donation. They are not allegations of wrongdoing, and they don’t affect the charity’s letter grade.
- No chair recorded on the registerNo chair or presiding role is recorded in the register for this board of 3. The Charities Register does not require one to be identified, so this is a gap in the public record rather than a finding about the board.
Each signal is a data-driven observation, not a judgement. They fire automatically from the figures filed with Charities Services. A charity can address any of these by filing fuller disclosure or updating its officer register. Methodology: /about/methodology/concern-signals.
$20.1M
$15.6M
$11.4M
Financial data from Charities Services annual return (FY2026). Ratings calculated using CharityData v3.1.1 methodology.
Endowment Foundation
Special Entity TypeThis is an endowment foundation that holds investments and provides grants. High reserves are expected and appropriate - this is not an operating charity.
Rating Note: Endowment foundations are rated using specialized criteria that recognize high reserves as appropriate. Metrics like grant distribution rate and investment returns are prioritized over program spending ratios.
Funder Profile
GrantmakerThis organisation makes grants or donations to other charities and organisations.
About
To provide post graduate scholarships in the biological sciences, make grants to persons undertaking biological science research, to assist local area persons who intend to study for a degree or diploma in science, promote the advancement of education in the performing and visual arts and provision for the sick and infirm. To co-operate with any other person/persons, institution, company, club, society etc to promote, achieve, support or maintain the following activities; publication of books, manuscripts, journals etc which support or maintain any of the foregoing activities.
Who We Serve
Key Statistics
Financial Trends
Financial Trends (19 Years)
Revenue Breakdown
Expense Breakdown
API DataBased on annual return data. Detailed program/admin breakdown not available.
Financial Health Dashboard
Based on latest annual return data. Metrics are calculated from reported financial data and may not reflect the full picture. View methodology
Revenue Diversification
HHI (Herfindahl–Hirschman Index) measures concentration across 6 income categories. Lower HHI = more diversified. Score above 60 indicates healthy diversification.
Peer Comparison
Ranked against 3 peers · Environment · $10M – $50M
Top Peers in Group
Peers are charities in the same sector and revenue size band. Rankings are based on the latest available data.
Rating History
Rating
BIs this your charity?
Claim your profile to view analytics, submit corrections, and improve your rating.
Claim This ProfileLatest Audit
FY2021Contact Details
Registration
Companies Office
Sector & Activities
Data sourced from Charities Services register and publicly available annual returns. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. Scores are calculated using disclosed methodology and are analytical tools, not investment ratings or recommendations. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. Last updated: 6 October 2026.
Similar Charities in Environment
Other Environment charities ranked by overall score