She only settled in the Whakatipu in late 2019, just before Covid.
But, with her background in non-profits and philanthropy back in England, Clare Irons has sure made an ‘impact’ — not just as chair of the Impact100 initiative but also in organisations like Baskets of Blessing.
For all this, we can be grateful she met a Kiwi.
The daughter of an Anglican minister’s first foray into philanthropy came, aged 14, when she sponsored a girl in Bolivia.
A life-changing experience came during a gap year, at 18, when spending time in Tanzania and a neighbour’s six-month-old died suddenly, likely due to inadequate hospital care.
"As young people and teenagers, it’s easy to be really caught up in your own world, and I think it just got me to think about the world in a different way, in a bigger picture."
Clare had initially planned to work in art galleries and auction houses and did a degree in art history.
"I loved it, but I realised I wanted to do something else."
So, after uni, she worked for an NGO, a couple of non-profits and a family foundation.
She also ran a volunteer programme for a bank in which employees would take three weeks or more off work to use their skills helping a charity partner.
Another life-changer was meeting, through friends in London, Kiwi boy Ben Irons who was on an OE, and subsequently marrying him.
"We would come back to see his mum and dad, they lived in the North Island, and one year I said, ‘I think we should do a South Island road trip’.
"And my flatmate at uni had come to the South Island for her honeymoon and she said, ‘when you get to Queenstown, make sure you also go to Arrowtown, there’s a really cute cinema called Dorothy Browns I think you’ll really love’."
The couple fell in love with Arrowtown on that visit, about 14 years ago, then made return visits.
"Then about nine years ago we bought a bit of land on the Crown Range, and every year after we’d bring our kids over from the UK, miss a cold winter, and we’d camp on our land.
"One year the airline lost all our luggage so the baby slept in a wheelbarrow."
Ironically, the land was first settled by people from County Antrim in Northern Ireland where Clare’s mum came from.
"And then we just kind of decided as our kids were getting older, if we didn’t make the move we never would."
So, in December ’19 they moved into a modular house they’d placed on their land.
Not knowing anyone, Clare joined the board of Arrowtown Preschool which her youngest went to, and also started volunteering for Baskets of Blessing.
As Covid hit hard, that latter charity became a lifeline for many families they delivered meals to — she also became a trustee.
She also joined Impact100 Wakatipu soon after arriving — "I thought it would be a good way to meet people and also find out more about the community".
By late ’21 she’d been shoulder-tapped to chair an organisation which sees 200-plus women giving $1000 a year that’s divvied into two $100,000 grants to charities chosen by members.
"I think we have probably over 500 women who’ve been part of Impact at one time or another.
"What’s really cool is businesses have got onboard and sponsor staff members to join."
Clare’s proud Impact’s launched a scholarship programme — ‘impactships’ — recognising women active in the community.
Then, just last month, the Wakatipu Community Foundation, which Impact’s part of, and the local chamber of commerce launched a BforGood (Business for Good) programme Clare’s leading, to help businesses make meaningful community contributions.
"There are real needs in our community, and if we want this place to flourish, and we want the people in it to flourish, then we need to be supporting the organisations making that happen."
For recreation, Clare loves hiking in the hills.
"I’m learning to love mountain biking and probably the same for skiing — my seven-year-old can ski faster than me, which is a bit depressing."
Clare, whose three children, 11, 10 and 7, enjoy Arrowtown School, says: "I mean, I do feel really passionate about this place, and can’t believe I’m living here.
"And I want other people who live here to love living here, to have opportunities to be able to thrive."
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