Motu Research and Education Foundation — Education Charity in Wellington
Motu Research and Education Foundation is a Charitable Trust charity in the Education sector, based in Wellington, Wellington. CharityData rates this charity B+ (82.5/100). Annual revenue: $0.2M NZD. Financial data as at June 2025.
Mission: The Motu Research and Education Foundation was established in 2006, with the aim of building capability of economic research and public decision-making. We build capability in the public sector by funding and promoting research into public policy issues affecting New Zealand without advocating an ideological or political position. Specifically, we provide: Funding for Internships, Funding for Māori scholarships, Funding for visiting academics to present in New Zealand, and Seed funding to explore new areas of economic and policy research. The Motu Foundation is not an operational entity. We don’t carry out our own research, so in pursuing these objectives, the Foundation co-operates with a range of people and organisations, particularly Motu Research. The Motu Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, which consists of some of New Zealand’s most distinguished business people and academics.
- Registration Number
- CC10530
- Charity Type
- Charitable Trust
- Registration Date
- 2007-07-01
- Status
- Active
- CharityData Rating
- B+ (82.5/100)
- Sector
- Education
- Location
- Wellington, Wellington
- info@motu.org.nz
- Data as at
- June 2025
Beneficiaries: General public
Financial Summary
- Total Revenue
- $0.2M NZD
- Total Expenses
- $0.1M NZD
- Total Assets
- $1.0M NZD
- Net Assets
- $0.9M NZD
- Reserve Months
- 15.8 months of operating expenses
- Volunteers
- 0
- Financial Year End
- 2025-06-30
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.2M | $0.1M | $0.9M |
| 2024 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.8M |
| 2023 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2022 | $0.0M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2021 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2020 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2019 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2018 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2017 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.7M |
| 2016 | $0.1M | $0.1M | $0.6M |
CharityData Rating
- Overall Grade
- B+
- Overall Score
- 82.5/100
- Financial Score
- 90
- Governance Score
- 65
- Transparency Score
- 65
Board Members and Officers
Current Officers (7)
| Name | Role | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Rohan Biggs | Trustee | 2026-03-19 |
| Steven Fyfe | Trustee | 2026-03-19 |
| Richard May | Trustee | 2024-03-21 |
| Timothy Clarke | Trustee | 2020-03-26 |
| Christopher McDermott | Trustee | 2019-03-04 |
| Pamela Bonney | Trustee | 2018-08-07 |
| Duncan Small | Trustee | 2017-08-09 |
Former Officers (16)
- Susan Haines — Trustee (departed 2018-12-31)
- Bruce Wills — Trustee (departed 2022-03-24)
- Michael Potts — Trustee (departed 2023-09-22)
- Joanne Wills — Trustee (departed 2025-08-21)
- Colin James — Trustee (departed 2016-08-03)
- Adam Jaffe — Director (departed 2017-12-31)
- Kerry Prendergast — Trustee (departed 2017-10-26)
- John Hay — Trustee (departed 2018-03-23)
- John Roberts — Trustee (departed 2019-03-28)
- Howard Fancy — Trustee (departed 2012-11-30)
- Neil Green — Trustee (departed 2015-07-21)
- Stephen Charles Thompson — Trustee (departed 2008-11-07)
- Dr Keith Sharman Turner — Trustee (departed 2010-03-31)
- Susan Kerr — Trustee (departed 2009-05-31)
- Dr Roderick Marshall Carr — Trustee (departed 2011-06-30)
- Colin Charles James — Trustee (departed 2011-06-30)
Similar Charities in Education
- South Pacific College Of Natural Medicine Inc — Education
- Christchurch Rudolf Steiner School Trust — Education
- Ashburton Kindergarten Association Incorporated — Education
- Sathya Sai Preschool Rongomai — Education
- Pukekohe Christian School Trust — Education
Motu Research and Education Foundation
Financial data as at June 2025. Sourced from Charities Services register.
Reasons to look carefully (1)
These structural observations are drawn from public data and are worth considering before a donation. They are not allegations of wrongdoing, and they don’t affect the charity’s letter grade.
- No chair recorded on the registerNo chair or presiding role is recorded in the register for this board of 7. The Charities Register does not require one to be identified, so this is a gap in the public record rather than a finding about the board.
Each signal is a data-driven observation, not a judgement. They fire automatically from the figures filed with Charities Services. A charity can address any of these by filing fuller disclosure or updating its officer register. Methodology: /about/methodology/concern-signals.
$194.9K
$114.5K
$973.0K
Financial data from Charities Services annual return (FY2025). Ratings calculated using CharityData v3.1.1 methodology.
Endowment Foundation
Special Entity TypeThis is an endowment foundation that holds investments and provides grants. High reserves are expected and appropriate - this is not an operating charity.
Rating Note: Endowment foundations are rated using specialized criteria that recognize high reserves as appropriate. Metrics like grant distribution rate and investment returns are prioritized over program spending ratios.
About
The Motu Research and Education Foundation was established in 2006, with the aim of building capability of economic research and public decision-making. We build capability in the public sector by funding and promoting research into public policy issues affecting New Zealand without advocating an ideological or political position. Specifically, we provide: Funding for Internships, Funding for Māori scholarships, Funding for visiting academics to present in New Zealand, and Seed funding to explore new areas of economic and policy research. The Motu Foundation is not an operational entity. We don’t carry out our own research, so in pursuing these objectives, the Foundation co-operates with a range of people and organisations, particularly Motu Research. The Motu Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, which consists of some of New Zealand’s most distinguished business people and academics.
Who We Serve
Key Statistics
Financial Trends
Financial Trends (18 Years)
Revenue Breakdown
Financial Health Dashboard
Based on latest annual return data. Metrics are calculated from reported financial data and may not reflect the full picture. View methodology
Revenue Diversification
HHI (Herfindahl–Hirschman Index) measures concentration across 6 income categories. Lower HHI = more diversified. Score above 60 indicates healthy diversification.
Peer Comparison
Ranked against 130 peers · Education · $100K – $1M
Top Peers in Group
Peers are charities in the same sector and revenue size band. Rankings are based on the latest available data.
Rating
B+Is this your charity?
Claim your profile to view analytics, submit corrections, and improve your rating.
Claim This ProfileLatest Audit
FY2025Contact Details
Registration
Companies Office
Sector & Activities
Data sourced from Charities Services register and publicly available annual returns. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. Scores are calculated using disclosed methodology and are analytical tools, not investment ratings or recommendations. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice. Last updated: 1 October 2026.
Similar Charities in Education
Other Education charities ranked by overall score