Pacific Island Polynesian Education Foundation

Mana (Auckland), Volume 2, Issue 4, 18 May 1978, Page 6

Pacific Island Polynesian Education Foundation

The foundation is an independent statutory body set up in 1972 to encourage the better education of Pacific Island Polynesians and their descendents living permanently in New Zealand and out of Pacific Island Polynesians about to qualify to live in New Zealand permanently. The Foundation has been set up so that every eligible person of Polynesian descent who needs further education after reaching fifteen years of age may be given the opportunity to continue his education for as long as he needs it and until he attains the necessary qualifications for entry into the occupation of his choice. The policies of the foundation are decided by a board of nine trustees, five of whom represent the main Polynesian groups in NZ. The other four members are the chairman appointed by the governor general, the Director General of Education, the Secretary of Maori Affairs and the Officer for Maori and Island Education. The Administration is carried out by a Secretariat located at Government buildings Wellington and consisting of a Secretary and clerical staff. The cost of administration is met by the government. The Foundation gives help by providing supplementary grants of money to eligible applicants who can establish need and merit, that is, that the amount of assistance given in any one year will depend upon the total cost of the course and the amount the student can contribute.

Those students who are in NZ on study permits which require them to return to their native island at the expiry of the permit and those who do not intend becoming permanent residents will not qualify for assistance. The Foundation gets its money from contributions from people and organizations also subscriptions (annual and life), donations and bequests. The government assists also by contributing a dollar for every dollar given to the foundation as donation. This is the money being used for making the awards. The decisions on the number and amount of the grants are made by a Selection Committee consisting of the Chairman, the five Polynesian trustees and the Officer for Maori and Island Education. They consider all applications and make recommendations to the Board. It is the foundation’s aim to help an increasing number of Polynesian students remain longer at school in order to gain secondary and tertiary qualifications. It is inevitable that the number of Pacific Island Polynesians increases, the assistance of the Foundation would need to increase to meet demand. In money terms, the Foundation will need every dollar it can receive and your support will go a long way towards achieving its aims. Information on the Foundation can be received by writing to the Secretary, PIPEF, P.O. Box 3745 Wellington.