Edna Brown

Edna Brown was the Acorn Foundation's first donor in 2003 and seeded the first personal endowment fund in the New Zealand Community Foundations network. 

Fast forward to 2021 and Edna’s endowment fund has now given out more than the original gift and the capital in the fund has not only stayed intact, but it has also grown by 46%. Edna chose to support medical research or treatment causes in the Western Bay of Plenty and, to-date, her fund has given $67,922 to 14 different charities - some multiple times.

Edna grew up in Rotorua, where she worked in her family’s soft drink factory after school. She was the youngest in a family of ten children, five boys and five girls. As a young woman she loved ballroom dancing, at which she excelled.

She married George Brown and they lived in Wellington, where Edna worked in the hotel industry, including managing the Tin Hut Hotel, near Wellington.

They had no children, but Edna loved animals, especially cats, and when they later started farming near Te Puke she had names for all the farm animals. 

Edna was a very determined lady, and she was always very kind to people who were in need. After her husband died she lived at Omokoroa, then later at Matapihi, and finally in Tauranga. She was very close to a niece who was only 4 years younger, so more like a sister, who also lived in Tauranga.