If you are applying for an ākonga | student who is not legally in your care, you should contact us.

Email: [email protected]

You have to apply for a boarding allowance by 31 October 2024 to receive it from Term 1 2025.

If you apply after 31 October, your application will be considered for Term 2. There is no back payment to Term 1.

We may consider applications made at different times of the year under extreme circumstances. The closing date for these applications is 2 weeks before every school holidays. Payments begin at the start of the next school term.

How to apply

Before you start your application, check you are applying for the right type of allowance and that you meet the criteria.

See the criteria and allowance types, including how much they are.

Boarding allowances for Years 9 to 13

Apply online

Applications must be submitted online. You must check that all the fields in the application are filled in before you send it to us. Any missing information will delay your application from being processed.

Apply for a boarding allowance

If you are applying for a multiple barrier boarding allowance, you must attach the completed and signed Section 3 from your referrer before you submit the application to us.

What happens after you apply

All applications are considered individually by a panel of our staff.

If you apply by 31 October for the following year, we will let you know in December if your application is approved.

Sometimes applications are unsuccessful. If that happens, you will receive a letter from us. You can then contact us to discuss your application further.

How the allowance is paid

The allowance is paid quarterly to your child's school. It cannot be paid in advance.

The school has to confirm to us that your child is boarding. They then pay it to the hostel or caregiver your child is boarding with.

If your child is private boarding with a caregiver, their contact and bank account details need to be given to your child's school. The school will then pay the caregiver.

Change of circumstances

If your child's boarding situation changes, you need to let us know as soon as possible so we can review their new circumstances.

You must tell us if your child:

• moves to a different boarding hostel or private board home
• moves to a whānau | family member's home
• leaves school.

If your child leaves school before the end of a term, we will recover the remaining allowance.

We will hold your allowance details for 12 months. If your child returns to boarding within that time, we will start your allowance again. If they return after the 12 months, you have to re-apply.

To let us know about a change in your child's circumstances, contact us.

Regional offices