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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Charitable Trusts Act 1957

Schemes in respect of charitable funds raised by voluntary contribution

38: Meaning of term charitable purpose in this Part

You could also call this:

“What counts as a charitable purpose in this part of the law”

In this part of the law, a charitable purpose means any purpose that New Zealand law considers charitable. It includes several specific purposes, even if they don’t benefit the whole community or a part of it.

You can consider something charitable if it helps sick, old, poor, or helpless people with their basic needs. This includes paying for funerals of poor people. It’s also charitable to educate poor people or their children, whether it’s physical, mental, technical, or social education.

The law says it’s charitable to help reform criminals, prostitutes, alcoholics, or drug addicts. It’s also charitable to help former criminals find jobs and take care of them.

Providing religious teaching, whether it’s general or for a specific religion, is considered charitable. Supporting libraries, reading rooms, lectures, and classes for teaching is also charitable.

The law includes promoting sports, healthy fun activities, and entertainment as charitable purposes. It’s also charitable to help people who have lost things due to fire or other accidents that couldn’t be avoided.

Encouraging people to be skilled, hardworking, and careful with money is charitable. So is giving rewards for brave actions and self-sacrifice.

Lastly, it’s charitable to build, set up, maintain, or fix buildings and places that help with any of these purposes.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM309967.

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Part 4 Schemes in respect of charitable funds raised by voluntary contribution

38Meaning of term charitable purpose in this Part

  1. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires, the term charitable purpose means every purpose which in accordance with the law of New Zealand is charitable; and includes the following purposes, whether or not they are beneficial to the community or to a section of the community:

  2. the supply of the physical wants of sick, aged, destitute, poor, or helpless persons, or of the expenses of funerals of poor persons:
    1. the education (physical, mental, technical, or social) of the poor or indigent or their children:
      1. the reformation of offenders, prostitutes, drunkards, or drug addicts:
        1. the employment and care of discharged offenders:
          1. the provision of religious instruction, either general or denominational:
            1. the support of libraries, reading rooms, lectures, and classes for instruction:
              1. the promotion of athletic sports and wholesome recreations and amusements:
                1. contributions towards losses by fire and other inevitable accidents:
                  1. encouragement of skill, industry, and thrift:
                    1. rewards for acts of courage and self-sacrifice:
                      1. the erection, laying out, maintenance, or repair of buildings and places for the furtherance of any of the purposes mentioned in this section.

                        Compare
                        • 1908 No 164 s 31
                        • 1928 No 55 s 3