Notice Board - News

Poll Tax Trust opens for funding applications

Dept. of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 19 June 2005

The Poll Tax Heritage Trust was set up following the Government’s apology to poll tax payers and their descendants for the actions of previous governments in imposing a poll tax on Chinese persons entering New Zealand and in enacting other discriminatory statutes.  The government established the charitable Trust with seeding funding and the Trust is now calling for grant applications.

The Trust’s first funding round opens on 19 June and closes 26 August.  Then Trust members will meet in October to consider applications and the successful grants will be announced in December this year, when a new application round will begin.

The broad aim of the Trust is to strengthen the unique identity of Chinese New Zealanders and their long established communities.  It is a gesture of goodwill to the poll-tax payers, their descendants and future generations in recognition of the hardship caused by the poll tax and other discriminatory legislation, and for the purpose of creating understanding in the wider Chinese community and New Zealand society as a whole.

The eight Trustees are all descendants of poll tax payers, and Chair, Dr James Ng said

“The Trust is a wonderful gesture of reconciliation and allows us to close the door on past negativity and to move ahead. 

“The Trust has been specially instructed to preserve some aspects of culture and heritage including language, history and heritage sites.”

Applicants are not required to be Chinese or descendants of early settlers, but proposals for funding must support the objectives of the Trust and have support from the Chinese Poll Tax descendant community.

The activities the Trust must promote (but are not limited to) include:

• learning and use of the Cantonese language
• awareness and understanding of the history of Chinese in New Zealand
• the recording and preserving of Chinese New Zealand history
• greater public understanding of ethnic diversity with particular emphasis on the contributions of Chinese New Zealanders
• Chinese arts and culture (including Chinese New Zealand creative and cultural expression).

More information and applications forms are available on www.dia.govt.nz or by calling 0800 824 824 to have information and paper forms mailed out.