Better Public Media Trust appeal of Charities Registration Board decision dismissed.

Published 3 March 2020

The appeal to the High Court by Better Public Media Trust of Te Rātā Atawhai’s (the Charities Registration Board) decision of 24 April 2019 has been dismissed. The Board had declined the Trust’s application to be a registered charity under the Charities Act 2005.

Roger Holmes Miller, Board Chair, notes that the recent High Court decision confirmed the Board’s decision that the Trust’s purposes are not exclusively charitable.

The Board acknowledges the High Court’s guidance, which will assist the Board’s future decision-making.

The role of the Board

The Board makes charities registration decisions based on the facts before it, applying the relevant statutory and case law, and maintaining consistency of its approach with previous decisions.

The role of the Board is to maintain the integrity of the Charities Register by ensuring that entities on the Charities Register qualify for registration. A purpose is charitable if it advances a public benefit in a way that is analogous to cases that have previously been held to be charitable.

View the decision here.

For more information on advocacy purposes, see advocacy for causes, and the previous blog explaining how the test is applied.