Rotorua, New Zealand.

No 462 Rotorua New Zealand

Benevolence expression of Masonic beliefs 

World-leading research in several areas of medicine is being carried out in New Zealand through the financial assistance of Freemasons.

The research, ranging from post graduate fellowships in paediatrics and child health, to the Masonic Centennial Chair in Gerontology at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, is just a part of a major benevolence undertaking funded by Freemasons.

Freemasonry in New Zealand has charitable assets throughout the country - including homes for the aged and disadvantaged and medical trusts - valued at around $150 million. As well, Freemasons pay out more than $1 million a year to help people in the community with housing, food and clothing, and with education, health and daily living needs.

Two of the fundamental beliefs of Freemasonry are meaningful concern for others and assisting people in times of need. These beliefs are expressed through benevolence to those in need, the great majority of which goes to non-members, paid for through the voluntary donations of members.

In the last 10 years, Freemasons have made annual grants totalling more than $1.25 million to fund medical research through the Otago University School of Medicine, which has had direct impact on infant and child welfare covering areas such as sudden infant death syndrome (cot death), asthma, deafness, dwarfism and infections.

Research into child health funded by Freemasons has considerably extended the knowledge and skill of our medical specialists who have greatly increased expertise to offer New Zealand children and medicine generally as a result.

At the other end of the scale is the Masonic Chair of Gerontology at Middlemore Hospital, which has been a remarkable success story and which has been responsible for hundreds of doctors being trained in the latest techniques of care of the elderly.

It has also been responsible for training a number of specialists in gerontology and for important research in the areas of strokes, Alzheimers disease, dementia and other similar health problems of the aged.

Interacting with the Chair of Gerontology, Freemasons are also helping to fund research by the Auckland Medical Research Foundation into neurogenerative disorders.  More than $500,000 has been contributed to the research so far.

Researchers have isolated the genes responsible for causing these hereditary diseases, and more importantly, have identified how these genes have a malign influence on the nervous system. Researchers are already working on developing the means to block this negative activity and are developing treatments which could prevent such diseases from developing in people who are hereditarily predisposed towards them, or to prevent the disease from progressing in those already afflicted.

Providing funds to help with education has become another major area for Masonic assistance ranging from primary school level to postgraduate studies. The New Zealand Freemason's University Scholarship programme is the largest privately-funded scholarship programme of its type in the country.

More than $250,000 is made available annually for post graduate and graduate level studies at the country's seven universities. Significant funding is also made available through individual lodges to assist young people with their studies.

While major projects are paid for by the New Zealand Freemasons Fund of Benevolence, many thousands of dollars are given to local causes through individual lodges.

These range from aids such as wheelchairs and other devices for the disadvantaged and assisting the elderly with home maintenance, to specialised equipment for medical centres and sporting equipment for young children.