Malcolm Wong was responding to Dunedin Ratepayers and Householders Association president Lyndon Weggery's questioning of the city's involvement in the garden's operation during a Dunedin City Council public forum this week.
The city council owns the garden, after it was given to the city by the Chinese community, which started the trust in 1998 to raise funds and oversee design and construction.
The Chinese community itself contributed about $800,000 to the project.
In accepting the gift, the city, which also gave the land for the garden and contributed $1 million to construction, agreed to take on the garden's operating and maintenance costs.
As the costs overtake revenue from the garden, Mr Weggery suggested to councillors they might consider offering it back to the Chinese community to run as a commercial enterprise.
Trust chairman Malcolm Wong said the Chinese community continued to use the garden frequently and contributed, both in time and money, to its maintenance and improvement.
The trust raised $35,000 to contribute towards maintenance and a further $5000 towards capital projects in the past year, he said.
Trustees, who donated a total of up to 500 hours of their time a year, friends and volunteers had also spent many hours assisting with tours and general duties at the garden, but also contributed much to support the garden in other ways.
For example, Mr Wong and trustee Peter Chin would travel, at their own cost, to Shanghai later this year to further the sister garden relationship with the Yu Garden, and to attend to other sister city matters.
Delegations from Shanghai to Dunedin were hosted by trustees out of their own pocket.
"As has been the case for the past 15 years."
The trust, in conjunction with the Shanghai Museum, was also publishing a locally produced book, for which the writing and photography services were provided free, and a locally produced DVD of the garden's story.
Proceeds from both would go towards supporting the garden, he said.
The Chinese community itself supported the garden's use through activities and providing free entertainment there during festivities such as the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year.
The NZ Chinese Association Otago/Southland Branch continued to provide financial support through the trust, and supported various festivities at the garden by providing, for example, the lion dance performers.
This year, the Moon Festival, on September 29, would be celebrated at the garden at a function sponsored by various Chinese community organisations.
Mr Wong said the trust and the Chinese community applauded the council and was grateful to it for its commitment to the Chinese garden, which was important not only to the city's relationship with China, but also with its sister city, Shanghai.
"More importantly, it recognises tangibly the importance the city places, as a whole, on the contribution of the Chinese community, whose connection dates back to the Gold Rush, which the city actively heralds as an important integral part of its cultural heritage."
As to how the garden could be best managed financially, council staff were to report to councillors on its future management next month, and Mr Wong said he did not want to pre-empt anything in the staff report.
