Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate

Sir John Logan Campbell’s Residuary Estate is held in trust in perpetuity to distribute its income each year as directed by Sir John’s will. It is administered by the Cornwall Park Trust Board.

Sir John supported many charities and institutions in his lifetime and his Residuary Estate continues this legacy, distributing grants annually to organisations across the old Provincial District of Auckland which covers about half of the North Island.

Generally, support falls into the categories:

• Relief of poverty
• Advancement of education
• Other purposes beneficial to the community

The overriding requirement for each of these categories is that the purpose is of “public benefit” and that any grants are direct, in the first instance, for a sufficiently wide section of the community

In 2023, in recognition of the cost-of-living crisis affecting communities in New Zealand, the Trust will target key charitable social agencies in Gisborne, Rotorua, Hamilton, Tauranga, Thames, Auckland and Whangarei that provide regional services for the direct alleviation of poverty and homelessness through the provision of food banks and related health services.

The Trust will make funds available on an equitable basis to those agencies who wish to be supported.

The Estate is also responsible for Sir John’s large collection of personal and business papers, available to view digitally at Auckland Museum.

Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate Grants - 2022

The grants totalled $400,000 for the following:

The Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal Account, Love Soup, Huntly Community Foodbank, Kaitaia Fresh Start Foodbank, Far North Community Foodbank, Coromandel Foodbank, Auckland City Mission, South Auckland Christian Foodbank, VisionWest Community Trust, Everybody Eats Charitable Trust, Presbyterian Support (Family Works), Rubicon Youth Alcohol and Drug Support Services Charitable Trust.

View the complete 2022 grant list here.

Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust

The Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust was established to support staff and post graduate students of the University of Auckland to build their knowledge and understanding of their specialist area through study and research abroad and in New Zealand. The intention is for this knowledge to be then shared for the benefit of Aotearoa New Zealand’s medical and research communities.

In 2024, the Sir John Logan Campbell Medical Trust established a new grant programme, ‘The Campbell Travelling Fellowship’, targeted to early career researchers at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, to seek overseas study which will catalyse career development and have potential significant long term health benefits for New Zealand.

In 2025, Jessie Hutchings and Dr Kelly Garton were the recipients of the inaugural Campbell Travelling Fellowships to support their study-related travel. Jessie, a doctoral candidate in the School of Pharmacy, has been awarded a Campbell Travelling Fellowship to attend the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) report on the social determinants of health equity in Geneva.

Dr Kelly Garton, a senior research fellow in the School of Population Health, has been awarded a Campbell Travelling Fellowship to visit the University of Sao Paulo (USP) Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (NUPENS).

Trustee Adrienne Young-Cooper says all the 21 applicants for this year’s awards were of a very high calibre, making the decision to determine the final recipients very challenging.

"We chose Jessie and Kelly because their proposals demonstrated a definite pathway to benefitting health research and the provision of health in Aotearoa New Zealand, and they both clearly explained how their own pathways would be strengthened because of the fellowship.

"We are very pleased that so many young medical students were able to apply for this fellowship and we encourage them to try again next year. It is gratifying that the quality of the applications was so high, and we are glad to be able to assist students to achieve their goals.”

For more information please email grants@cornwallpark.co.nz

Case study one

One of the 2019 recipients of the Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate was the Waipa Community Trust which used the donation for its Cambridge Pump Track, which opened to the public in December 2019. A representative says both local children and surfers use it regularly when the waves at Papamoa Beach are bad. The Red Bull Pump Track World Qualifier was held at the track in March 2020, before the nationwide lockdown.

The park has also had a positive social impact, the representative says. “One local kid approached me to thank me. When he left school, many of his mates went to drugs as there was nothing to do in town, but he’s hoping to get them riding the track and back on track with their lives.”

Case study two

Another grateful recipient of last year's grants was Mobility Dogs, which trains dogs to offer practical support, companionship and security for those living with disabilities.