17Nov2025
● Meeting date is 28th Nov 2025
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Grant’s Policy

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New Horizon Community Trust's Grant Policy

New Horizon grants are available for authorised purposes

Grant applications are considered in accordance with New Horizon’s grants policy.  The grants policy also includes the criteria for assessing grant applications.

Availability of Net Proceeds

  1. New Horizon Community Trust has funds available for distribution.

Decision by Net Proceeds Committee

  1. All final funding decisions are made by New Horizon Community Trust’s net proceeds committee. Grant decisions are usually made monthly.  Applicants are advised by email whether their application has been successful shortly after the net proceeds committee meeting.
  1. Grant applications found to be non-compliant will not be approved. In this context, “non-compliant” means grant applications that do not contain all the relevant information, are retrospective, where the application does not comply with New Horizon Community Trust’s authorised purpose, or where there is information that the applicant has received funding from other source(s) for the full amount needed for the purpose applied for.  Non-compliance is determined by New Horizon Community Trust’s staff and contractors, based on the information supplied and independent checks undertaken.  New Horizon Community Trust will endeavour to advise grant recipients of the grounds for the non-compliance, so the non-compliance can be avoided in future applications.

Authorised Purpose

  1. Grants will only be made in accordance with New Horizon Community Trust’s authorised purpose.

Audit Requirement

  1. Unless a later date has been agreed upon by New Horizon Community Trust, the grant accountability documentation (including invoices and bank statements) must be provided to New Horizon Community Trust within six months of the grant being made.

 

  1. As required by section 115A of the Gambling Act 2003, grant money may only be used by the grant recipient for the specific authorised purpose for which it was granted and in accordance with the conditions attaching to the grant. The grant recipient commits a criminal offence if section 115A is breached.

 

  1. If the funds are not spent for the specific purpose granted, New Horizon Community Trust will request a refund. If a funding surplus exists, the surplus must be returned to New Horizon Community Trust.

 

  1. New Horizon Community Trust will use its best endeavours to obtain the return of money distributed to a grant recipient if it has information that the grant recipient:

 

  • has received funding from another source for the same specific purpose as the purpose for which the money was distributed; or
  • has not used the money for the specific purpose for which it was distributed.

 

  1. If the grant recipient has breached section 115A (failed to spend the funds on the specific purpose granted or failed to adhere to a condition attached to the grant) and the money has not been returned, New Horizon Community Trust will consider referring the matter to its solicitors for recovery action, and/or to the Police or Department of Internal Affairs for prosecution. Any other suspicion of fraud or potential criminal offending by a grant recipient will be notified to the Department of Internal Affairs.

 

  1. A random sample of grants will periodically be independently verified by New Horizon Community Trust to ensure the funds have been spent as stated in the audit documentation. The verification may include telephoning grant recipient suppliers, visiting grant recipients and reviewing photographs and other evidence supplied.

 

  1. The timeframes set out in this policy may be extended at New Horizon Community Trust’s discretion. New Horizon Community Trust does not, however, have the power to extend any timeframe that is imposed by the Gambling Act 2003 or the associated regulations.

Reasons

  1. Grant applicants will be provided with reasons for New Horizon Community Trust’s decision if New Horizon Community Trust decides to decline a grant application (either in full or part).

Complaints

  1. Complaints can be made to New Horizon Community Trust’s Chairperson by writing to the Trust.

 

  1. Complaints about the conduct of New Horizon Community Trust may also be made to the Secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs at: P O Box 10-095, Wellington.

Distribution Timing

  1. A substantial portion of the net proceeds received during a financial year will be distributed to the community for authorised purposes on at least a quarterly basis.
  1. All net proceeds received during a financial year will be distributed to the community for authorised purposes within three months following the end of that financial year.

Record Keeping and Website Publication

  1. The following records will be kept in a database format and published on New Horizon Community Trust’s website:
    • the name of every organisation that has applied for funding;
    • whether the grant has been accepted in full or declined in full;
    • whether the grant has been accepted in part and declined in part;
    • if the grant has been declined in full or in part, the reasons for that decision;
    • the amount of the grant; and
    • any “interest” that a New Horizon Community Trust’s net proceeds committee member has in relation to any successful grant applicant.
  1. The following additional records will be kept in various formats, but will not be published:
    • the date that each grant is made (the date of the meeting/decision);
    • the specific purpose of the grant;
    • direct bank payment transaction details;
    • the grant request ID number; and
    • the signatures of the persons approving the grant.
  1. A net proceeds committee member has an interest in a recipient of a grant if:
    • the member may derive a financial benefit from the grant or may have a financial interest in the recipient; or
    • the member is a part of the immediate family of the recipient; or
    • where the recipient is an organisation, club, society, or association, the member is:
    o an officer or a member of the recipient; or
    o a part of the immediate family of an officer or a member of the recipient; or
    o the member is, or has been, the recipient’s lawyer or is under a professional obligation to the recipient in another professional capacity; or
    o the member is, or has been, employed by the recipient, or is, or has been, indebted to the recipient, or is, or has been, involved in business or financial dealings with the recipient; or
    o the member is otherwise connected to or involved with the recipient in a way that can reasonably be perceived as having influenced the decision to make the grant to the recipient.

    Part of the immediate family means a person who is the member’s
    • spouse, civil union partner, or de facto partner; or
    • parent, child, sister, or brother; or
    • who is the parent, child, sister, or brother of the member’s spouse, civil union partner, or de facto partner.

  1. New Horizon Community Trust aims to update its website with the above information monthly. The information will, however, be updated at least every six months.
  1. For details on how conflicts of interest are managed, see New Horizon Community Trust’s Conflict of Interest Policy.
  1. The grant application and all supporting information will be retained by New Horizon Community Trust if the application is successful.