International giving

The Gift Trust can donate to both NZ and international causes on behalf of our donors. We understand that the causes our donors want to support are as varied and wide ranging as they are and so we want to make it easy to donate to your favourite charities, whether they are in NZ or far from home.

Borderless giving

Aside from facilitating gifts from New Zealand donors to international causes, The Gift Trust also facilitates tax-efficient giving from international donors to New Zealand causes.

More information on borderless giving

There are tax advantages to donating to international charities via The Gift Trust because we can give our donors a tax deductable receipt on donations to international causes that they wouldn’t get if donors gave directly. There are some limits placed on how much we can give to international causes in any one year, to make sure we comply with NZ charitable law. But up to a quarter of our total donations in any one year can be given to international good causes, as long as they are legally charitable. The Gift Trust conducts additional checks on these charities before we make the donations to make sure they comply with NZ charitable standards. Here’s just a few examples of the work we’ve helped enable:

Coalition for Rainforest Nations and Carbon Critical Net-Zero Fund

Coalition for Rainforest Nations is a highly-effective international non-profit that helps tropical governments, communities and peoples to responsibly manage their rainforests. Healthy rainforests in turn protect against a changing climate, generate needed biodiversity, and provide safe habitats for endangered species

Carbon Critical Net-Zero Fund, one of our Gift Accounts, has given more than $40,000 to CfRN since 2020, thanks to a strong community of donors. Support their work today.

Miracle Feet and Seed The Change | He Kākano Hāpai

The vision of Seed the Change | He Kākano Hāpai is for a sustainable, equitable and joyous world. Its work is threefold; incubating changemaking seed initiatives; investing in early-stage companies with environmental and social outcomes at their core; and using its giving portfolio to champion causes that can bring about transformative change. Seed the Change manages their giving programme through The Gift Trust.

One recipient of Seed the Change’s giving is Miracle Feet, whose mission is simple: provide access to treatment of clubfoot for children worldwide. Two million children are growing up with this birth defect that can cause a lifetime of physical disability and the inability to walk, but which can be treated for less than $500 USD.

Just Peoples

Just Peoples was established so that Kiwis giving internationally could ensure their donations were supporting the delivery of culturally appropriate and sustainable solutions to poverty. Their Gift Account helps them accumulate and distribute gifted funds more efficiently and more effectively.

Find out more, or support their work, on their donation page.

Resources to support your donation decisions

Individuals and families brochure

Companies brochure

Philanthropic Advice Package

Philanthropic Advice Package for companies

Guide to Gift Accounts

Donation Tax Credits

Compare types of giving

Different types of donations

Our Donation Policy

“The Gift Trust provides a personalised service for my plan to give, donate and support the causes that are important to me at a reasonable cost.”

— Gillian, Gift Trust donor

"The gift accounts offered by The Gift Trust are a good option for individuals or organisations wanting to consolidate their charitable giving. I encourage all financial advisers to consider this important development."

– Dr Rodger Spiller, Financial Adviser, Money Matters

“An area of importance to our clients is charitable giving. The Gift Trust offers an opportunity to streamline the gifting process, while adding increased confidence and transparency. It also provides robust due diligence of eligible charities and access to additional support services for clients with complex needs.”

— Philip Stevenson, Bloomsbury Associates. CEFEX Certified Investment Adviser

“We would like to recognise and offer thanks for the support we receive though The Gift Trust’s donation. An annual donation from one of your donors is one of the largest donations that Kaibosh receives each year and has been absolutely pivotal to our ability to operate with confidence and to expand our operation across the Hutt Valley. We are extremely thankful.”

— Matt Dagger, Kaibosh, Gift Trust grant recipient

“My gift account has made my giving easy. It lets me get straight to the fun and satisfying part of giving to the causes I care about, without the hassle.”

— Anake, Gift Trust donor

"The Gift Trust provides a flexible and robust structure, to support donors' charitable giving intentions, while still enabling them to have a say in the investment of donated funds."

– David Ireland, Partner, Dentons Kensington Swan

"A Gift Account with The Gift Trust is a great option as an alternative to setting up a charity or private foundation while still preserving clients' control over their giving."

– Steven Moe, Partner, Parry Field Lawyers

"The administration and ongoing compliance requirements involved in setting up a private charity can be onerous, and even risky. Setting up a Gift Account allows The Gift Trust to look after those requirements, and provide support that allows the donor to focus on what they really want to do with their gifts."

– Sue Barker, Sue Barker Charities Law

"The Gift Trust takes the guesswork out of giving. Having support with research and due diligence on donations ensures that funds are truly making the desired impact. It has been a real pleasure to work with The Gift Trust."

– Ben, Gift Account holder