A flawless transition

A metaphorical passing of the baton has occurred between two South Canterbury lawyers from Gresson Dorman & Co. Managing Partner Georgina Hamilton has replaced long stand trustee and Crown Solicitor Andrew McRae on the Aoraki Foundation board.

Andrew has been a valued trustee at the Aoraki Foundation for close to five years but by his own omission he would have still loved to have given more to his local community foundation. Andrew joined the board in 2018 with a motivation to see South Canterbury thrive. In his role as Crown Solicitor Andrew sees the reality of our community’s lowest moments and understands to make a better community work must be done well before the courthouse. Bringing real world perspective to both the board and distribution meetings Andrew’s considered input was always valued. Unfortunately for Andrew and the Aoraki Foundation an increasing workload meant his contributions have been limited in the last six months and he made the inevitable decision to step down as a trustee.

The great news was the Aoraki Foundation didn’t have to look far for a replacement with fellow partner Georgina Hamilton having already shown an interest. A presentation in 2022 by Aoraki Foundation Chief Executive Richard Spackman captured Georgina’s attention. As Richard recalls “Georgina came up to me afterwards and asked some great questions about the Foundation, I thought at the time she would make an excellent trustee.”

Georgina attended Timaru Girls High School before completing a law degree and practicing in Auckland. In 2011 Georgina returned home with husband James and daughters Olivia and Lucy. Coming back to Timaru was all about whānau and a change of lifestyle. Community is important to Georgina, she has been involved in many not-for-profit boards and finds these roles extremely rewarding.

On behalf of all of us at the Aoraki Foundation we warmly welcome Georgina Hamilton to the board and say thank you to Andrew McRae for his valuable service.