Its basic objective was to encourage Māori into tertiary education and this was achieved through the payment of grants and scholarships. These were derived from public raised funds and private bequests which were subsidised by Government. In 1993 the Māori Education Foundation Act 1961 was superseded by the Māori Education Trust Deed and the Māori Education Trust came into being.

Today, the Māori Education Trust, Toitū Kaupapa Māori Mātauranga, has the same primary objective. We aim to encourage Māori tauira to continue with their studies and pursue higher education by helping to ease the financial barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential. The partnerships we have created over the years, with Iwi, Land Trusts and Education Institutions has given us the opportunity to increase the amount of students we are able to fund per year, and increase our reach within the community.

We only hope to increase the availability of our scholarships, and our list of partners, to ensure that Māori students are on their path to succeed.