Ngāi Tahu Kaumātua Grant

An annual payment to registered Ngāi Tahu aged 65 and over. No application — it is paid to you.

Closes

No application process. Letters go out in September to confirm bank details

Who can apply

Registered Ngāi Tahu who are 65, or who turn 65 before 31 December of that year. It supports general expenses.

Whakapapa

Registered with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Registration is what triggers the payment, so an unregistered kaumātua receives nothing.

Amount

Set annually by Te Rūnanga. Paid in November — $365 in 2025, 2024 and 2023; $345 in 2022; $325 in 2021

Funding route

Grant

Applicants

Individuals & whānau

Before you apply

There is no application, which is the whole point and almost nobody realises it. If you are registered and 65 or over, the grant is paid to you. What you have to do instead is keep your contact and bank details current.

In September, letters go to every kaumātua on the Ngāi Tahu database who is or will be 65 before 31 December, purely to check the bank details. If you are registered, 65 or over, and no letter arrives by the end of September, ring the contact centre on 0800 524 8248. That is the one action worth diarising.

Paid by direct credit in November, or into your Whai Rawa account if you have one. Whai Rawa cannot pass it on as a koha to a relation — you can pay into any Whai Rawa account yourself, but the transfer has to be done by you.

Tax: it is classed as a charitable donation so there is no income tax liability. But WINZ may take it into account when calculating a rest home subsidy, which is worth knowing before it lands.

Official source →

Checked 16 September 2026

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Details change without notice. Check the funder's own page before you apply. Tōku Waka does not administer, assess or award this funding.