Advancement of education

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Updated June 2026

This page explains the “advancement of education” charitable purpose. It outlines what qualifies as education in a charitable context and provides examples of wording used by charitable organisations.

For more information, see the Charitable purpose and your rules page.

What your purpose must include

To qualify under this category, your organisation’s purpose must:

provide some form of education
ensure learning is passed on to others.

What “education” means in charity law

The modern concept of education is broad. It can include:

Formal education, such as schools and structured training.
Research in specific subject areas or fields of expertise.
Informal education, including developing skills, knowledge and understanding.

Education can also include:

Museums and galleries that are open to the public.
Activities that promote cultural or artistic appreciation, including arts, music and literature.

Education and advocacy

Organisations may carry out research as part of advancing education. To qualify, the research must:

Be objective and impartial.
Be made available and accessible to the public.

Advocacy that promotes a particular point of view:

Is not the same as advancing education.
Does not qualify as education if it is biased or lacks neutrality.

Activities that involve propaganda, opinions or predetermined outcomes are unlikely to qualify as advancement of education.

However, advocacy may still be charitable under a different charitable purpose. For more information, see Advocacy/Taunakitanga.

Examples of wording

These examples show how charitable organisations describe purposes that advance education.

General education

To advance education by establishing and operating schools.
To advance education by providing parenting courses, seminars and workshops.
To advance education by providing childbirth education classes focused on family-centred care, preparation for parenting and nutrition.

Education for specific groups

To advance the education of young people by providing leadership training programmes and workshops.
To advance education by providing scholarships, bursaries and awards to the public or a meaningful section of the public.
To advance the education of students attending [name of school] by providing books, equipment and educational aids.

Arts and culture

To advance education by providing workshops and recitals in music performance and composition.
To advance education and increase public understanding and appreciation of the arts by delivering performances in public venues, community centres and educational institutions, and by providing related seminars.
To advance education by producing performing arts festivals that educate the public and support the development of artists.
To advance education by providing arts programmes such as youth theatre, arts camps and workshops for young people.
To advance education by increasing public understanding and appreciation of Māori culture.

Public education and awareness

To advance education by educating the public about safety issues.
To advance education by providing community development workshops and seminars.
To advance education by informing the public about wild birds and their habitats.
To advance education by educating the public on agriculture and farming.
To advance education by providing public education programmes on acquired brain injury.
To advance education by educating the public on the safe use of firearms.

Training and professional development

To advance education by providing training for police officers, teachers, social workers and crisis response workers.
To advance education by providing workshops and seminars relevant to caregivers’ needs.
To advance education by establishing and operating a resource library for caregivers.
To advance education by establishing and operating a resource library for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Skills development and employment pathways

To advance education by establishing and operating a training centre that teaches the refurbishment of computers and electronic equipment and provides training for people with barriers to employment.

Science and subject-specific education

To advance education by educating students in economics.
To advance education by operating a national science fair for students.

More information

The book Charity Law in New Zealand by Dr. Donald Poirier includes detailed information about each charitable purpose, including references to relevant case law.

The following legal decisions are particularly useful for understanding the advancement of education:

Family First Supreme Court Decision

Greenpeace of New Zealand High Court Decision

Draco Foundation (New Zealand) High Court Decision

Foundation for Anti Aging Research