L W Nelson Junior Scholarship 2026

L W NELSON TRUST JUNIOR SCHOLARSHIP 2026

IMPORTANT: Please read information below to assist you in completing your application online. Applicants should carefully consider the criteria, which may be varied from time to time.

The L W Nelson Junior Scholarship was established in 1958 by Northland farmer and businessman Laurence William Nelson. The L W Nelson Junior Scholarship is managed and administered by Public Trust in line with the terms of the Trust’s founding documents and pursuant to the relevant New Zealand legislation.

This Scholarship is offered to students who wish to attend school in the Northland Area within the boundaries of the districts of Kaipara, Whangarei and the Far North as a boarder for 3 years and who meet the following criteria: 

• Aged 13 years or younger on 1 December of the year the application is submitted.
• Would not otherwise be able to attend school as a boarder.
• Reside in the Northland Area within the boundaries of the districts of Kaipara, Whangarei and the Far North.

Preference will be given to:

• Applicants who live in disadvantaged circumstances and reside in remote areas.
• Applicants who have been offered a place at Whangarei Girls High School (Lupton House).

The successful applicant will be awarded an annual sum towards boarding fees for a period of three years.  Payment will be made directly to the school at the beginning of each school term.

How to apply: Complete the application form via Public Trust’s online granting system ‘Smarty Grants’. A full application will require you to fill in the form and upload the required documents. You can save the form as you go and log back in at any time to complete and submit before 5pm on 21 August 2026.

Scholarship Terms and Conditions:

• Decisions regarding scholarships are made based on the information provided in the application, supporting material and from other enquiries (if applicable). The decision of the L W Nelson Board of Trustees will be final, no correspondence will be entered into.
• Payment of the scholarship is subject to confirmation of enrolment / attendance during each term.
• The scholarship will be reviewed each year before the next year’s payment is made.
• If a scholarship is awarded for more than 1 year, the applicant will be required to re-apply annually for continuation of the Scholarship. This will be communicated to the applicant when the Scholarship is awarded.
• Scholarships may be approved subject to certain conditions. In such circumstances, the funds will normally be held by Public Trust until the conditions have been met.
• The Trustee reserves the right to withhold payment of any amounts due under the scholarship in the event of the misconduct of any person holding the scholarship.
• The criteria and conditions of the Scholarships may be changed from time to time as the Board sees fit.

Important dates

• Applications are open from 9am on 6 July to 5pm on 21 August 2026..

• Applicants are formally notified of the outcome by early November at the latest.

   

Late applications will not be accepted.

Contact us: Any questions should be directed to Public Trust Charities Team by email to funding@publictrust.co.nz.

Step 1: Determine eligibility

• Please ensure you have read the Scholarship’s eligibility criteria.
• If you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply please contact us at funding@publictrust.co.nz.

Step 2: Register or login to apply online

• First time users will need to register.

Note: Please store your login details in a safe place for future use.

• Once registered, you can login to the system and start your application.

Step 3: Complete your application

• The application is best viewed/completed on a non-mobile device.
• Complete all of the required questions – mandatory questions are marked with an *
• Attach all required supporting documents.

Note: Our preferred format for attachments is PDF, Excel, Word or JPG.  Supporting materials cannot exceed 25MB in size, as files exceeding this will not upload.

Hint: Save your work regularly so it is not lost if you time out or lose your connection.

You can save your application at any stage and return to it later. Make sure the spell checker is switched on in your browser to prevent spelling errors.

Step 4: Review and submit your application

• When you are satisfied with your application press the review button to ensure that all required sections of the application have been completed (you must do this before the submit button is enabled).
• Submit your application.

  Note: Once you have submitted your application no further editing or uploading of supporting documents is possible.

Step 5: What happens next?

• You will receive an automated email confirming your submission with a copy of your application attached and information about how/when your application will be assessed.  This will be sent to the email you used to register. 

If you do not receive a confirmation email, then your application has not been successfully submitted (don’t forget to check your spam email folder when looking for the email).

• We will contact you if we require any further information to consider your application.

If you need more help using this form, download the Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

If you have any technical difficulties using the online SmartyGrants portal email service@smartygrants.com.au