who we are

​We’re the Manawatu Reuniting Refugee Families Trust. We’re based in Palmerston North, but cover the Central North Island.

Our Mission:
Enhancing the wellbeing of refugee families in the Central North Island of New Zealand, through financial assistance to reunite immediate family members.
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Our Purpose:
Raising funds to provide financial assistance and support to enable reuniting of immediate family members.
We welcome support of any sort, be it personal donation, business sponsorship, community funding and other activities.

Donations
You can make a donation to the Trust, either as a one off or by becoming a regular donor. The Trust is a registered charity with the NZ Charities Commission No CC53703. Donations are tax deductible.
Refer to the " How You Can Help" menu option for further details.

You might have the opportunity to promote the work of the Trust to your local community.
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You can consider a bequest to the work of the Trust.

You could get together with your friends or community group and organize a fundraiser for the Trust.​

our trustees

​Lorna Johnson
I am a veterinary surgeon and have worked in private practice and tertiary education. I was a lecturer at UCOL for eleven years. I’ve volunteered to resettle refugees in our community, and worked in the not-for profit sector in refugee resettlement and health. I am Chair of the Manawatu Reuniting Refugee Families Trust and a member of the National Council of Women. I was born in the UK and have lived in New Zealand for 16 years with my husband and three children.

Roger Clark
I have had a long governance involvement in the Not for Profit sector and have worked for many years in the agricultural servicing sector before my current role as Secretary of The Ozanam House Trust. Other activities, include roles in the Society of St Vincent de Paul, which has a long history of helping refugee families in practical ways. I continue this help as a Trustee of The Manawatu Reuniting Refugee Families Trust. I also find time as a member of Fitzherbert Lions. 

Mary Nash
I came to live in New Zealand from North Wales in 1978. I have three children and four grandchildren. For many years, I taught social work at Massey University and have now retired. I have researched and published in the field of social work and refugees and I know how important it is for refugee families to be reunited with one another. It is my hope that by being a member of the MRRFT I can help to bring families together again. 

Antoinette Umuganeza
I am married and a mother of 5, 4 daughters and one boy. I came to New Zealand in 1996 as a refugee and I am now a citizen of New Zealand. Being a refugee is more than an insult or an assault, but as a person I am not ashamed to be called a refugee. I am ashamed to be part of a world that has more than 60 million of refugees. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Social Studies and I also have a Diploma in Counseling. I am currently working for NZ Red Cross as Resettlement Case worker and Cultural adviser. I am honored and humbled to be a trustee of  MRRFT. 

Cliff Wilson
Following a long stint in the corporate sector, most recently as CFO to a large organisation, now semi-retired, I joined MRRFT after working with a Refugee Charity in Wellington, and various other charities, becoming aware of the at times extreme issues in this area. I wish to contribute through being a Trustee/Treasurers of the Manawatu Reuniting Refugee Families Trust as I can to assist in the reunification of disparate families. I am also chair of the Hoffman Kiln Trust.