The Treasury is pleased to invite applications for The Treasury Tertiary Challenge. The aim of the challenge is to allow students to test their analytical skills on real-life policy issues. The competition is open to all students who are enrolled in any degree program or higher at an approved New Zealand tertiary education institution, including universities, wananga, and polytechnics.

Who May Eligible:

To eligible, the candidates must be following all the eligibility criteria:

• Students currently enrolled in any degree program or higher at an approved New Zealand tertiary education institution, and studying any discipline are eligible to enter this competition.
• Direct relatives of Treasury employees may submit essays, and are eligible to be selected as finalists but are ineligible to receive a study grant.
• For these purposes, a “direct relative” is a child, parent, or sibling, including step-parents, children, and siblings.

How to Apply & Competitions Rules:

To participate, the applicants must submit either a 2000 word essay (maximum), prepare an A3 presentation or create a video presentation of up to five minutes. Prepare a submission that addressing one of three pre-set questions as the following:

1. How can Tikanga Māori help ensure the tax system reflects what’s important to New Zealanders?
2. What is the most pressing intergenerational challenge facing our tax system?
3. How should the tax system promote the right balance between supporting the productive economy and the speculative economy?

• All entries must be received via email to tertiarychallenge@treasury.govt.nz

Rules:

• This year’s questions relate to the Tax Working Group, which has been set up to look at ways to improve the structure, fairness, and balance of New Zealand’s tax system.
• Entries are limited to one per person and must be completed individually.
• Each submission must be the work of the student entering it and any sources (published or unpublished) must be acknowledged.
• If direct relatives of Treasury employees do enter submissions, however, they will be eligible to be selected as finalists and invited to the Treasury to present the analysis in their entries.
• Students may not seek guidance from past or present Treasury staff, except via email to tertiarychallenge-at-treasury.govt.nz.
• Each submission must be the work of the student entering it and any sources (published or unpublished) must be acknowledged.

Benefits:

• The top five finalists will receive a cash prize to aid them in their studies.
• The winner of the Challenge will receive a grant of $2,000. The second and third runner-ups will receive $1,000 and $500 respectively. The two other finalists will receive $100.
• These finalists will also be invited to the Treasury to present their analysis to an audience. This presentation will not count in determining the winner of the competition. Finalists will also have the opportunity to meet analysts from across the Treasury, including those involved with the Tax Working Group, and discuss working in the public sector.
• The Treasury will cover the cost of flights to Wellington for any finalists based outside the Greater Wellington Area.

Application Deadline:

All submissions are due on 15 July 2018 at 11:59 pm.

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