The Short Title of this Act shall be “The Wellington Education Reserves Act 1871.”

It shall be lawful for the Governor in the name of Her Majesty at the request of the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington for the time being to grant to the said Wellington Education Board hereinafter called “the Board” one or more block or blocks of land being Waste Lands of the Crown within the said Province and not sold or agreed to be sold and not reserved for public purposes and not exceeding in the whole twenty thousand acres to hold to the said Board their successors and assigns for ever on trust for the purposes of this Act and no payment whatever shall he required of the Board in respect of any such grant except such fees and other payments as shall for the time being he payable by law in respect of grants from the Crown and the registration thereof and the registration of the title of the grantee.

As to such of the parcels of land described in the Schedule to this Act as have not yet been granted by the Crown it shall be lawful for the Governor in like manner to grant the same to the said Board to hold upon the same trusts without any payment whatever save of the like fees and payments as are in the next preceding section mentioned.

As to such of the parcels of land described in the said Schedule hereto as have been granted to the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington the same shall as to the whole legal and equitable estate and interest therein respectively by virtue of this Act be vested in the said Board (without any conveyance) upon trust for the purposes of this Act and the persons in whom any such lands were vested immediately before the coming into operation of this Act shall be discharged from all liability and responsibility which might thereafter arise or be incurred in respect of any such lands or the trusts upon which the same were held.

The Board shall hold the several pieces of land hereinbefore mentioned subject to any lease or agreement for a lease which shall be subsisting in respect thereof at the time of coming into operation of this Act upon the trusts following:—

To use any parts thereof as sites for schoolhouses and residences for teachers of schools established under the said Act of the Superintendent and Provincial Council hereinafter referred to as “the said Provincial Act.”

To let the same or any part thereof for such term not exceeding twenty-one years and upon such conditions as the Board shall think fit.

Under the authority of any Act of the Superintendent and Provincial Council of the Province of Wellington to be passed for the purpose to sell the whole or any part of the said lands and to apply the proceeds thereof in purchasing other lands to be held upon the same trusts as are herein declared concerning the said lands or to invest such proceeds on the security of any loan stocks bonds bills or debentures issued by the General Government of the Colony and from time to time to vary such investments and to apply the income thereof in the same manner as the rents and profits of the lands in this Act mentioned.

The Board shall apply all the rents and profits of the said lands after paying the expenses of obtaining and managing the same in or towards the maintenance or encouragement of schools established under the said Provincial Act or of schools not so established which the Board may in pursuance of the said Act think fit to assist and may apply such part thereof as the Board shall think fit as prizes for the encouragement of learning in any of the said schools and such prizes may be given in money or in books or other suitable rewards.

If the Superintendent and Provincial Council of the said Province shall by any Act so direct the said rents and profits or part thereof may he applied towards the maintenance and support of schools of a higher class than those established or assisted under the said Provincial Act and towards the encouragement of education in the said Province by granting prizes exhibitions and annual sums of money to young persons whether educated at schools established under the said Provincial Act or not such prizes exhibitions and annual sums being granted according to the result of competitive examinations to be conducted and regulated in such manner as the Board shall from time to time prescribe Every such examination shall be open to all young persons between such ages as shall be fixed by any Act of the Superintendent and Provincial Council or if not so fixed then as the Board shall fix who have fulfilled such conditions as to residence in the Province of Wellington as shall be imposed by any such Act or if none be so imposed then as the Board shall from time to time impose Provided that it may be enacted by any such Act or if not so enacted then it may be determined by the Board that there shall be one class of examinations for males and another for females and that no female competitor shall be admitted to the former and no male competitor to the latter.