Grant to attend Subject Association conferences

The Learning and Development Centre, thanks to the funding support of the Ministry of Education, is pleased to restart the Subject Association Grant of up to $750 (inc GST) to attend a Subject Association run event.

This grant is to support kaiako’s professional learning and development to attend conferences, workshops or subject-specific courses.

Please be aware that this grant will only be eligible for subject association run events. We will consider peer-to-peer network events on a case-by-case basis. It can be used to cover registration, travel, meals, childcare and accommodation to a total value of $750 (including GST). The grant cannot be used to cover relief.

Before applying for a grant, you will need to be pre-approved, so we can confirm the availability of annual funding and your event’s eligibility. This way, once the event has concluded, you can be assured of reimbursement. Grants will be approved on a “first come first served” basis.

How do I get my grant?

1. Complete the pre-approval form.
2. We will confirm if your application is successful or unsuccessful based on funding availability and event eligibility.
3. Once pre-approved, you will need to coordinate your own bookings. (Remember to keep your receipts!)
4. After the event, you can apply for your reimbursement by downloading the reimbursement form and completing the questionnaire we will send to you.
5. We will be in touch if we need any other information from you.

Please be mindful that the grant is for $750 (including GST) in total, so booking early for conferences, flights and accommodation will be to your advantage.

Travel

Driving: Mileage is paid at $1.04 per km. You do not need to provide receipts for mileage but please make a note of the distance travelled when applying.

On routes where flights are readily available and significantly cheaper than driving, but you would prefer to drive, we can offer an airfare equivalent.

If not sure, please email pld@ppta.org.nz with your travel details and we can confirm this amount prior to your trip.

Flying: In addition to your flights, please keep receipts for airport transfers (e.g. taxis, Ubers and shuttles).

Accommodation

Please book and pay for your own accommodation and supply receipts.

Meals

For any meals not provided by the conference, you may claim the following daily value:

Breakfast:          $18

Lunch:               $20

Dinner:              $45

Receipts must be supplied.

Childcare

You may be reimbursed for childcare costs across the conference and travel period, including any preparation time. Receipts must be supplied.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I apply for a reimbursement if I don’t have pre-approval?

No. The pre-approval process is to confirm the availability of annual funding and your event’s eligibility, so please apply for pre-approval to avoid disappointment.

• Can you guarantee that my application will be successful?

There are a few conditions you’ll have to meet before getting pre-approved, so we cannot guarantee the approval until after you apply.

Once you receive confirmation of pre-approval, you have guaranteed access to your grant after your conference or the PLD course has concluded, provided you attend the event and supply all receipts.

We anticipate that the approval in principle process may take up to three weeks at busy times.

• Can I use this grant to support my university study (e.g. fees or on-campus course costs)?

No, there are other mechanisms both in the collective (e.g. Study Awards or Study Support Grants) and outside the collective (e.g. Guidance Counsellor Training Study Award) to support university study.

• Can I use this grant to attend a course run by an organisation other than a subject association?

The purpose of this fund is to support teachers to attend subject-specific courses provided by subject associations or peer-to-peer networks. We have a contractual agreement with the Ministry of Education that specifies these requirements.

• Can I use this grant to attend a course run overseas by a subject association?

No, this fund is to support NZ teachers and subject associations based in Aotearoa.

• I want to attend a course and I’m not sure if it is a subject association. How do I know?

Approved subject associations can be found here. If the event you are planning to attend is not on this list, you are welcome to email pld@ppta.org.nz.

We cannot guarantee the grant will be approved, but we will look into it. Please be aware that the grants are to be granted for subject associations or peer-to-peer networks, not private organisation run events.

• Can I apply more than once a year?

No, you can only apply once a year for one event, even if the amount claimed is less than $750. This is so that we can support as many teachers as possible to attend events.

• Can my school apply for a grant on my behalf?

No. The PPTA can only pay grants to individual teachers. We do not offer reimbursements to schools.

• I made travel/accommodation arrangements with a co-worker; how can I apply for reimbursement?

Great question! To apply for reimbursement, you will both have to complete the reimbursement form and provide receipts. You can use the same receipts and specify what proportion of that total amount you have paid for (e.g. if you paid $200 for the hotel bill and you paid half each, you would specify “50%” or $100). If you have questions, please contact us on pld@ppta.org.nz and we can help you.

• Do I need to fill out the evaluation questionnaire?

We currently collect data to help us evaluate the benefits of this grant. This information used in reporting to the Ministry of Education.