2024 Education Grants Now Open

Applications are now open for Tertiary students (first year and beyond) that can whakapapa to a Trust Owner.
The Trust has partnered with the Maori Education Trust to provide increased grant amounts and online processing for this years education grants.
Applications are only considered for 2nd and subsequent years of Tertiary study
Applications can only be made online via the online MET Application Portal located here:

Scholarship Information – Maori Education Trust

Applications close on 30 April 2024.
For any online processing issues contact the Maori Education Trust by phone 04 586 7971 or email.

2024 Education Grants Policy

1. Persons who qualify for an education grant:

(a) Registered Owners or descendants of Registered Owners.

(b) Beneficiaries and descendants of beneficiaries in a Whanau Trust constituted in terms of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.

Applicants must supply a clear whakapapa endorsed by a Kaumatua who is a beneficial owner of Te Whaiti Nui A Toi Trust or Trustee of Te Whaiti Nui A Toi Trust.

Applicants claiming whakapapa through a Whanau Trust must provide a schedule of the beneficiaries of the whanau Trust issued by the Maori Land Court.

2. Students must be currently attending a NZQA (or overseas equivalent) tertiary institution on a fulltime basis or an institution or training scheme approved by the Trustees. Part-time courses are not supported.

3. All students who qualify for a grant will receive an amount approved by the Trustees which varies each year depending on total sum available divided by number of approved applicants pus any top up from other providers.

1. Applications will only be considered for 2nd and subsequent years of study.
2. The Trust has partnered with the Maori Education Trust (MET) and applications must submitted online through the MET Portal by 30 April 2024.
3. Students attending free courses or where course fees are paid by employers or third parties are ineligible for a grant.
4. Incomplete or late applications will be rejected. The Trust or MET reserve the right to request further information from applicants.
5. Grants will be paid tax free from MET direct to successful students.
6. Any policy interpretation is entirely at the discretion of the Trustees.

2023 Owners Grant Policy

An Owners grant in lieu of a dividend has been approved by the Trustees.  This grant is payable to the Owners registered at 1 December 2021 who have supplied their bank account numbers and addresses. The grant is also available to Owners, subject to the terms of the grants policy, for a period of 12 months expiring on 30 November 2022. The current policy in respect of the 2021 Owners Grant is as follows:- 

1. For identification purposes the grant will be called the “2021 Owners Grant”.
2. The sum of $60,000 has been set aside for 2021 Owners Grants.
3. Payments to be made only to bank accounts and Owners addresses must be held. 
4. Payments will be calculated according to shareholding bands as per the attached schedule.
5. These grants are taxable and will have Maori Authority Credits (MAC) attached at 19.5%.  Grants exceeding $200 including MACs will be subject to RWT at 39%.  Where an IRD number is not held for an owner and the gross grant exceeds $200 the withholding tax rate is 39% reduced by any MAC attached, up to a maximum of 19.5%.
6. All Owners with addresses are to be advised of the Owners Grant and those who have not provided bank accounts details will be asked to do so.  Those Owners exposed to RWT at 39% will be advised to supply their IRD numbers to avoid this cost.
7. Non Resident Owners will have their distributions subject to Non Resident Withholding Tax of 15%.
8. Sufficient funds will be retained to cover any Owners who are located after the payment date.
9. The Trustees reserve the right to make only one payment to a shareholder whose name may appear more than once on the share register where it is evident that those multiple names refer to one person.
10. Any Owners who are located after the payment date will be entitled to the payment they would have received had their address and bank account details been known at the distribution date.
11. Any owners who succeed to shares after the payment date will be entitled to payment of the current shareholder’s grant based on their shareholding where it has not been paid to the deceased shareholder.
12. Entitlement to the payment will expire on 30 November 2024.
13. Payments to overseas Owners will be subject to deduction of bank charges.
14. The Trustees reserve the right to amend this policy or draft new policy to cover any circumstance not covered or anticipated by this policy, in respect of payments to all beneficiaries or to any one or more beneficiaries and the Trustees decision in these matters will be final.