Mrs Jill McIvor CBE

The Directors and everyone at the Ulster New Zealand Trust deeply regret the death of Mrs Jill McIvor CBE, our esteemed founder of the Trust, who passed away on 8thJanuary 2019.  We extend our deepest sympathy to her family circle.

Jill McIvor was the driving force behind the establishment of the Ulster New Zealand Trust at The Ballance House. It was her steely determination and old-world charm which persuaded her friends and business colleagues to support her through the difficult early stages of the restoration of the House. 

Thirty years on, her achievement stands as a memorial to an outstanding public-spirited person who, in spite of very many difficulties, achieved all that she set out to do.  She had the very happy knack of being able to select those supporters who saw things her way and whom she knew would deliver positive results. 

Mr Paul Hewitt, the present Chairman of the Trust, in a tribute said: “The Ulster New Zealand Trust, and generations of Kiwis with roots in Northern Ireland, will forever be indebted to a marvellous lady, a fearless ambassador and a remarkable visionary.  She was a truly outstanding person who has left her mark on the history of Northern Ireland”.