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Government funding covers approximately a third of our budget. Other sources of funding we receive through giving allows us to provide the extras needed to help students succeed, and for the University to continue to make a positive impact on the communities it serves. Donations fund scholarships and prizes for students and ensure the University can continue to adapt to a changing world through the delivery of excellent teaching and leading research.

Any gift that you give – either financial or offering your time or expertise to a project or cause - is hugely beneficial for the recipient, and for you as the donor. As a donor, you gain a sense of great fulfilment knowing your gift is helping people. When you give to the University of Waikato, you are making a huge impact on the lives of the students who benefit from your generosity – whether that’s through supporting a scholarship to remove barriers to tertiary study, or enabling research to address society’s big issues. When you donate to the University, you are making a big impact and should feel incredibly proud of your contribution.

There are many ways to support students and the work we do at the University of Waikato. You can make an unrestricted gift to be used in the greatest area of need by the University, or you may wish to designate your gift to support an area of interest to you, your family, business, or in honour of a family member or someone special to you. You might also be unsure where you would like your donation to go. No administrative or overhead costs are deducted from your gift – 100% goes to helping make an impact. There are many areas of the University you can direct your gift towards, including programmes of study, research projects, construction projects, and more. Talk to us to find out what option will best suit you.

We welcome and encourage donations from anyone with an active interest in the University of Waikato. We welcome donations from alumni, staff, students, stakeholders, businesses, and members of the community. Every gift, small or large, makes a big difference.

Any gift, small or large, can make a huge difference. You can donate whatever feels comfortable to you and as regularly as you like, or you can get in touch with us to discuss your options further if you have a specific project or scholarship you wish to support. We are also very grateful for any non-financial support you may be able to give too – find out more here.

Donating to the Endowment Fund is a great way to make a significant and lasting gift to the University of Waikato. Many great universities of the world have an endowment fund, which exists in perpetuity and uses the interest it gains to help further a university’s aims. When you donate to the Endowment Fund, you are allowing the University to direct your gift to an area of need while maximising the investment to further help the University achieve its aims.

If you would like to leave a gift to the University of Waikato in your will, you can choose to make a general or unrestricted gift to allow the University to direct funds to an area of need, or nominate  a specific Faculty, research programme, or another project of your choice to benefit from your donation.

We encourage you to talk to us in the first instance, and we can have a chat about what you would like to do. We also recommend you consult your legal provider. If you are planning to acknowledge the University of Waikato in your will, please let us know so we can express our appreciation in your lifetime.

If you are thinking of gifting the University any assets, we encourage you to talk this through further with us. There are some situations under which we can accept gifts of stocks, shares, bonds or real estate, or significant artworks, musical instruments or cultural collections relevant to our areas of study. You may also wish to name the University as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, which would enable you to leave a legacy to the University for the cost of monthly insurance premiums.

You may wish to consider supporting or funding an academic appointment in the area of interest to you. A University Chair position can serve to further research, and facilitate the development of knowledge and expertise in your area of interest. Academic positions can also be beneficial for organisations who wish to align with a certain area of study and help advance outcomes useful to them. Alternatively, you can also choose to support an existing area of research currently underway at the University. Talk to us to find out more.

A designated gift is a donation that goes to an area of the University specified by the donor, e.g. to a particular scholarship, programme of study, or a research project. An unrestricted gift is a donation where the University decides what area it can go towards, often to an area of need.

There are several ways you can make a donation to the University of Waikato. You can donate via our secure online donation form. On the donation form, you can also choose what area you would like your donation to go to, or if you would like it to go to the Endowment Fund, which allows the University to put it to an area of need.

If you would prefer to make donations directly into the Foundation bank account via internet banking, just get in touch and we can provide the details.

Since 2008, all charitable contributions in New Zealand are subject to a 33.33% tax rebate. Donation tax credits can be claimed online through myIR, IRD’s secure online service, and there is no need to complete a paper form. You will need to upload a receipt (electronic, or photos or scans of paper receipts) for every donation you claim for, which can be done at any time throughout the year. See more details on the IRD website.

Yes. All donations are recorded by us, but you can remain anonymous if you let us know that is your preference. However, if you are happy to do so, we would love to share your reasons for giving to help inspire other people to support the University.

The University of Waikato Foundation – Te Pou Taunaki – is an independent charitable trust and is responsible for raising funds to support the University. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, which has a fiduciary duty to ensure all funds donated to the University are managed, invested sensibly, and disbursed appropriately according to donors’ wishes.

Many staff members feel a strong connection with the University and have indicated they would like to support the University to achieve its potential, for which we are incredibly grateful.

The easiest way for current staff to donate is through payroll giving. You can give as much or as little as you like, and donations are deducted from your fortnightly salary. The benefit of utilising payroll giving is that you also qualify for a 33.33% tax rebate, which you receive immediately in your fortnightly pay instead of having to apply for it via an annual tax return.  Staff can choose to make a one-off donation or make regular donations from their fortnightly pay. Even a small donation each fortnight adds up to make a big difference.

Staff can manage payroll giving through Āku Mahi. Simply log in to Āku Mahi, then View Deductions. This is where you can also stop your donations at any time. Full instructions are available here.

We encourage, and are very grateful for, all types of non-monetary support to the University. This includes in-kind gifts of people’s time, such as donated products or services, offering to mentor a student in your field of expertise, or host interns through our Work Integrated Learning programme. However you feel you can support the University, we encourage you to get in touch with us.

The University of Waikato collects and maintains personal information from our donors where necessary to process donations and so we can communicate with you. We take all reasonable steps to keep your information safe and secure.

The information we collect can include:

• biographical details (name, date of birth, etc)
• contact details (address, telephone, email, contact preferences, etc)
• credit card details (if you have provided these to us)

In addition, we could also collect information about you that can include:

• education details and academic history
• responses to our electronic communications
• events you have been invited to
• business details, including positions, organisation, professional memberships and qualifications
• career highlights and other achievements
• outside interests

For full details, please see the University’s Privacy Statement.