Appendix 5: Ngārimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Act 1945 established a Fund of that name to assist Māori education in New Zealand (the Fund). The Fund was established to commemorate the service of the 28th Māori Battalion and other Māori service men and women in the Second World War, and the award of the Victoria Cross to Te Moananui a Kiwa Ngārimu.

All money belonging to the Fund must be paid to the Māori Trustee, who must hold it in a separate account to be called the Ngārimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Account.⁷

No money can be paid out of the Fund Account except by resolution of the Board established by the Act.

The Act established a 15-member Board to administer the Fund. Board members include the Ministers of Education and Māori Affairs, MPs who represent Māori electoral districts, former Māori members of the armed forces, and 2 non-Māori members appointed by the Governor-General.

The Board’s general function is to administer the Fund for the purpose of granting assistance by way of scholarship, subsidy, special grant, or bursary for the education of any Māori, or for the purpose of promoting the study and encouraging the maintenance of the Māori language and of Māori history, tradition, and culture.

The Board may from time to time apply money towards all or any of the following purposes:

(a) The provision for Māori children or older Māori of scholarships of such value and upon such conditions of tenure as the Board in its discretion may determine.

(b) The provision of books and other equipment for the holders of such scholarships, and the making of grants generally for the purpose of assisting the parents or guardians of the infant holders of any such scholarships to provide for their children's education.

(c) The provision of prizes for essays relating to the overseas war service of Māori, or to any other subject connected with Māori people.

(d) The preparation or production of textbooks relating to the Māori language and to Māori history, tradition, and culture.

The Board may impose conditions for the purpose of ensuring that the grant is expended only for the purposes for which it is made and to the best advantage.

The net income of the Fund in any financial year is available for distribution by the Board, but the capital of the Fund is not available for distribution.

Section 9 of the Act requires the Minister of Finance to pay an annual grant to the Board “for the general purposes of the Fund” out of money appropriated by Parliament for that purpose, and the Board may determine whether to treat the amount received as income, or capital, or partly as each.

The Board is required to give the Minister of Education an annual report of its activities, including its audited financial statements.

7: Section 3(2), Ngārimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Act 1945.