New unopposed chairman Vince Aynsley was nominated and confirmed last Thursday after Mr McAuley did not stand for the position again.
Mr McAuley, the chairman for 15 years, said his decision to not stand was only made after he was "made well aware I didn’t have the numbers".
"To say I was extremely disappointed would be an understatement.
"It was evident from the start, everything was in place.
"You don’t have to be a mathematician to work out it was always going to be a numbers game."
He told the Otago Daily Times he was disappointed grievances had been aired in the media and hoped the board could move forward despite their differences.
But, for the former chairman, there was bad blood now in the room, and he did not mince his words.
"There’s no doubt.
"Clearly, I have been betrayed by the majority of the board.
"Am I ever going to get over it? No, I’ll never get over it."
Tensions between Mr McAuley and Mr Aynsley boiled over in a meeting earlier this year.
Accusations of electioneering and bullying flew around the boardroom after Mr McAuley alleged Mr Aysnley asked him "how he would feel when he was no longer president next term" at a New Zealand Licensing Trusts Association conference in Invercargill.
Mr Aysnley denied this, but the mood continued, with multiple board members airing various grievances against Mr McAuley, Mr Aynsley and one another.
Mr McAuley said there was little chance of a reconciliation between himself and certain members of the board.
Given the way he had been treated it would be difficult for him to move on and say "we’ll be friends".
"It doesn’t work that way.
"The other thing is, it’s now a split board, and that’s the difficulty."
Regardless of his frustration, he was still committed to the trust and what it represented for the community beyond the interpersonal drama.
"My son said to me, ‘Dad, the people don’t know who Vince Aynsley is, or Horace McAuley, they don’t know who they
are. But they know who the MLT is’.
"Will I get over it? No, but that’s fine.
"I will continue what I was put there to do."
Mr Aynsley said he was honoured to represent the community, and was looking forward to working with the board alongside new deputy chairman Craig Marshall.
In terms of the dispute, he was "disappointed" the back and forth was aired in the media, and hoped they would be able to move forward.
"People around any board table, you should be able to have different views.
"I don’t think it will impact the MLT at all.
"It would be disappointing if any board member didn’t want to do the best around the board table, because ultimately we’re just people working for the community, aren’t we?"
Mr Aysnley said Mr McAuley had led the MLT through difficult times for the past 15 years, and was hopeful he would continue to support the best way he could.
