Frequently Asked Questions
This page is being updated as we receive questions on Marram Online. Questions that are asked frequently and their answers appear in this section of Marram Online. Questions are grouped under subject headings:
1. Marram Online
2. Benefits & Claims
3. Take Care of Your Health
4. Holiday Homes
5. The Ballot
6. Marram Community Trust
7. Lifetime Eligibility
8. Cancellation Fees
9. Promotion Conditions
1. Marram Online
Marram Online FAQs
This section contains questions and answers about your use of the Marram Online system.
Q: How do I Register Online?
A: On first accessing Marram Online you will need to create a password. You can do this by clicking on Create a Password (to the right of the page) under First Time Here? You will then be led through the steps you need to take to register.
Q: I have just tried to register and it has failed? Why is that?
A: There are a number of reasons why your online registration may have failed. The most common are:
1. The data we have on our system is different to the data that you are putting in. For example, if on our system your first name is Jonathan and then you put your name down as Jon, the system may not recognise you and registration fails.
2. The submission of data information relating to member organisations. For example, Chorus and Gen-i generally fall under the umbrella of Telecom. Therefore if you are an employee of Gen-i and you input Gen-i as your organisation, the data will not match the data we hold. The website contains details of all member organisations listed.
3. If you are a new contributor, we would like to welcome you to Marram. As a new contributor, you are not able to register to use the Marram Online system until Marram has received your first contribution payment and you have been set to Active. After that time you will be able to register Online.
4. The inputting of yourself as a lifetime member when you are actually an active member and vice versa. Simply, if you are no longer an employee of a member organisation and/or no longer paying contributions you are considered a lifetime member – providing you meet the lifetime membership criteria. Please email enquiries@marram.co.nz to have a PDF of lifetime membership criteria emailed to you.
We apologise for any inconvenience and ask for your patience as we work through processing the online registration failures to make these 'live' and successful.
Q: What happens when I click on Take a Holiday?
A: By clicking on Take a Holiday you will be able to:
• view current vacancies
• book online
• view holiday homes, map directions and a brief description about the holiday area and our holiday homes.
Q: What happens when I click on Take Care of Your Health?
A: By clicking here you will be able to find out:
• about our assisted healthcare programme
• how to make a claim
• the benefits of our assisted healthcare programme.
Q: What happens when I click on About Us?
A: By clicking here you will be able to:
• find our more about Marram Community Trust and what we offer
• view the latest newsletters
• find out which organisations are members of the Marram community
• find out if you are eligible to join the Marram community.
Q: What Happens when I click on My Marram?
A: By clicking here you can:
• update your personal details such as email address or your holiday home preferences
• check your holiday home booking status
• check your claim status.
2. Benefits & Claims
Benefits and Claims FAQs
Q: I put a claim in a week or so ago, yet I have not heard anything about it. What do I need to do now?
A: You should have received an email advising your claim has been received. Our aim is to process your claim within 10 working days.
Q: What if I forget to put my bank account details on my claim form?
A: When your claim is ready for processing, we will email you asking for your bank account details. If we do not receive a reply within a week, your claim will be declined with a note advising we do not have a bank account number to deposit the funds into.
Q: Can my Partner sign the claim form on my behalf?
A: No, the Marram Contributor must sign the claim form.
Q: Can I claim through Marram as well as my Healthcare Insurer?
A: Yes. You need to submit your claim with the Healthcare Insurer first and ask for certified copies to be returned. Once you have been reimbursed, you can send your certified copies and remittance advice to us to claim your Marram entitlement.
3. Take Care of Your Health
Take Care of Your Health FAQs
Q: What can I claim if I have treatment by an alternative therapist?
A: As of 17 February 2009, you can claim up to $20 per visit up to 10 visits per calendar year (to a maximum of $200 per family) for alternative treatment from the following alternative specialist/specialities: osteopath, chiropractor, naturopath, dietician/nutritionist, audiologist, homeopath, psychologist, podiatrist, acupuncturist, iridologist, therapeutic massage and Chinese medicine.
Marram will not reimburse for:
• Herbal/natural remedies
• Ointments
• Therapists accessories
• X-rays performed by a chiropractor.
Q: Am I able to claim for a thin prep smear test?
A: From 1 January 2009 you are able to claim for 60% of the cost of a thin prep smear test performed at general practitioner surgeries. Please note that thin prep consultations and treatments provided by the FPA (Family Planning Association) or Fertility Specialists remain exempt.
Q: If my orthodontic treatment is ongoing, and likely to be over 3 years, am I still covered for that period?
A: All orthodontic treatment benefits paid are based on the date of the receipt only. For example, clinical notes/treatment plans are not financial documents and cannot be used as proof of payment.
Assistance is provided at 60% of the treatment fees, up to a maximum of $600 per person in total. Once the $600 maximum is reached, no further benefit can be claimed at any date in the future. There is no time limit within which the treatment must be completed.
Q: Can I claim for contact lenses or a pair of glasses if I do not have a change of vision?
A: Yes, you can claim 100% of total costs for optical assistance - up to a maximium of $250 within a two year period (per person). Due to increased demand, we have reviewed the Optical Benefit to now include Online purchases of glasses or contact lenses as these are often cheaper for you than purchasing directly from your optometrist. In order for consideration to be made for an online purchase, we require documentation from an optometrist for the original consultation that identifies and details the prescription required. The online purchase needs to also outline detail of the prescription and who the prescription is for.
The Online purchases apply to any purchases made after 1/2/10.
Q: Can I claim for online purchases, for example prescription medication?
A: Marram does not cover any online purchases as it is unable to authenticate that receipts issued for online purchases are related to Marram contributors or their dependants.
Q: What if I cannot find the coverage (eg: for a specific treatment or drug) I am looking for on your website?
A: New treatments and drugs come into circulation all the time. All benefits paid out are at the discretion of the Marram Board of Trustees. If you cannot find the information you are looking for please contact us direct by email or phone.
4. Holiday Homes
Holiday Homes FAQs
Q: Can I use POLi to pay for my holiday if I am on a dial-up network?
A: Yes, but it is not recommended, as it will be very slow and may time out during the transaction. You will then have to search for vacancies again and try to rebook if the home is still available. If you only have a slow dial-up connection it will be safer to either pay by credit card, or if that is not possible, phone our Customer Services team on (04) 801 2920 and ask them to make the booking and send you an invoice.
Q: What is a Weekly holiday home?
A: Weekly holiday homes are only available for booking on a weekly Saturday to Saturday basis. These homes may also be booked for shorter stays two weeks prior to the tenancy date.
Q: What is a Standard holiday home?
A: Standard holiday homes are available to be booked on a nightly basis, but you pay no more than the weekly rate for any part week. This is the default type of home: if a home does not state that it is Weekly then it is a Standard home.
Q: What is a Pet Friendly holiday home?
A: Pet Friendly holiday homes are special holiday homes that can also accommodate domestic pets so they can be a part of your holiday experience. Pet Friendly homes incur a surcharge of $50.00 per week for weekly rate bookings or $10.00 per night for daily rate bookings.
Q: How many people does each holiday home sleep?
A: Most holiday homes comfortably sleep 4 adults - however in most holiday homes there is also a double sofabed. As you may all be aware, sofabeds are just that and are midway between a sofa and a bed. This should always be taken into account if you have special sleeping requirements. Exceptions are:
- Ohakune Nos 1 and 2 which each sleep a maximum of 10
- Martinborough No 1 sleeps 10 and Martinborough No 2 sleeps 8 (Serviced)
- Haruru Falls Nos 3 and 4 which each sleep up to 7 (have one extra single bed)
- Taupo No 2 which only has one double bed and sleeps only 2
Q: What does the holiday home provide?
A: All holiday homes are fully furnished. However, you do need to bring sheets, pillow cases, towels, tea towels, toilet paper, soap, washing up liquid and cleaning supplies. (Martinborough No 2 is fully serviced and linen is provided)
Q: What time can I arrive at the holiday home?
A: Check in time is 2 pm. and check out time is 11 am. If you have booked a cleaner, check out time is 10 am. These times must be adhered to.
Q: How do I now what holiday homes are available?
A: Our current website is interactive letting you book holiday homes Online 24/7. The process to look up available holiday homes has three simple steps:
- click on 'Current vacancies' – found beneath ‘Take a Holiday’
- put in your search requirements
- click on Find Holiday Homes
Top Tip: To see everything about how to search for vacancies and/or to book a home, click the 'View help related to this page' link near the top right hand corner of the Vacancy Search screen: every screen in marram Online has one of these.
Q: I have put in a search for a holiday home later this year but nothing seems to come up? Why is that?
A: Depending on your search parameters it may take some time for the screen to load all available holiday homes. For example, if you searched for a holiday home over a period of four months it could take over 20 seconds before anything comes up on screen. This is because the data is being searched for and collated to show all vacant holiday homes in the time period and region you specified. Or perhaps you have entered preferences and search options that are very restrictive and no homes are available that meet your requirements. The most common reason is that all of our homes tend to be almost fully booked during the busiest times (school holidays) and nothing is available. If in doubt, phone our Customer Services team for assistance.
Q: Where are the Standard and Pet Friendly holiday homes located?
A: Below are the locations for Standard and Pet Friendly holiday home locations.
Standard Holiday Homes:-
• Acacia Bay Unit 1
• Akaroa Unit 1
• Alexandra Unit 1
• Auckland Units 1, 2, 6 & 7
• Auckland East Unit 1
• Christchurch Unit 1 & 2
• Coopers Beach Units 1 & 2
• Cromwell Unit 1
• Dunedin Unit 1
• Gisborne Units 1 & 2
• Hanmer Springs Units 1 & 2
• Haruru Falls Units 1 & 2
• Hastings 1 & 2
• Hokitika Units 1
• Invercargill Unit 1
• Kaikoura Unit 1
• Kaiteriteri Unit 1
• Lake Tekapo Unit 1
• Martinborough Site 1 & 2
• Momorangi Bay Unit 2
• Mount Manganui Units 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14
• Naper units 1, 2 & 3
• Nelson 1, 2, 6 & 7
• New Brighton Unit 1
• Ohope Beach Units 1 & 2
• Ohakune Site 1 & 2
• Owera Units 3, 4, & 5
• Palmerston North Unit 2
• Paraparaumu Units 1 & 2
• Picton Units 1, 2, 3 & 4
• Queenstown Unit 1
• Queenstown East Units 1, 2, 7 & 8
• Raglan
• Riversdale Beach Unit 1
• Rotorua Units 7, 8, 9, & 11
• Ruakaka Unit 1
• Russell Units 1 & 4
• Taupo Units 2, 3, & 5
• Te Anau Unit 1
• Tokomaru Bay Unit 1
• Turangi Unit 1
• Wanaka Unit 1
• Wanganui Unit 1
• Wellington Unit 1
• Westport Unit 2
• Whangamata Unit 1
• Whangarei Unit 1
• Whitianga Units 1 & 3
Pet friendly Holiday Homes
- Maraetai Beach Unit 1
- Tokomaru Bay Unit 2
- Riversdale Beach Unit 2
- New Plymouth Unit 2
- Westport Unit 1
- Invercargill 2
Q: How far in advance can I make a holiday home booking?
A: All holiday homes including weekly homes can be booked up to 6 months in advance. If a holiday home is balloted the balloted period will be blocked out.
Q: Is there a minimum booking period of two nights for Friday and Saturday?
A: No. Standard holiday homes are now available to be booked on a nightly basis, even at weekends.
Q: When are the Standard and Pet Friendly homes available for bookings?
A: Standard and Pet Friendly bookings are available to be booked six months prior to tenancy.
Q: How do I use the Attractions search feature?
A: Click 'View help related to this page' on the Current Vacancies screen for full details.
Q: How do I access the 'Things to do' information about the holiday locations?
A: Click 'View help related to this page' on the Current Vacancies screen for full details.
Q: How do I use the 'Things to do' screen when I am there?
A: Click 'View help related to this page' on that screen for full details.
5. The Ballot
The Ballot FAQs
Q: What is a Balloted holiday home?
A: Balloted homes are those that are made available in the ballot. These homes cannot be booked during ballot periods until after the ballot has been run, when they then become available. Balloted homes include Weekly, Standard, or Pet Friendly homes.
Q: Are all the holiday homes in the ballot?
A: No. We have 80% of homes which are balloted over Christmas, Easter and School holidays. The remaining 20% can be booked up to 6 months in advance, all year round.
Q: What homes are balloted?
A: Click here to see a list of the balloted homes.
Q: What homes are not balloted?
A: Click here to see a list of the non-balloted homes that can be booked up to 6 months in advance, all year round.
Q: How many weeks can I book in a ballot?
A: Only 1 week. A 2 week booking is no longer available through the ballot.
Q: What criteria/rules govern the ballot process?
A: Click here to see the ballot categories and what selection criteria applies to each category.
Q: When is the next ballot?
A: Ballots are run for Christmas, Easter and School holidays. See
Ballot dates for your diary for full details.
Q: How do I enter a ballot request online?
A: It is essential that you Send your request after setting up your locations and /or holiday homes, as unsent requests will not be processed when the ballot is run. To see instructions on completing the process, click the link near the top right corner of any ballot request screen that says "View help related to this page".
Q: I have tried for several years to get a holiday home in the summer holiday period, but I have never been successful, yet my colleagues have also tried and have been successful each year? Why does that happen?
A: There could be a number of reasons for this. For example:
1. Each ballot that is run is a separate ballot. The ballot is run by a computer program with the individual selections made on a random basis. There is no provision for manual manipulation of the ballot.
2. There are two weeks that are the most popular periods during the summer holidays, covering Christmas to New Year and the week after. There are also a number of hotspots. These are Mt Maunganui, Whitianga, Ohope Beach, Whangamata and Nelson. This is why we recommend that you put down several options, including less popular dates and locations, to improve your chances of success.
We have recently altered the ballot categories governing the Christmas ballot to make it fairer for all and to try to avoid some people winning every year whilst others keep missing out.
Q: When are the most popular periods?
A: Summer and Easter remain the most popular periods. School holidays are also popular.
Q: I can't request Ohakune or Martinborough in the ballot. Why is that?
A: Around 20% of our Standard homes are not available through the ballot. All Ohakune and Martinborough homes are Standard homes that are not balloted, so neither location appears as a ballot request option.
Q: Do Pet Friendly homes appear in the ballot request screen? Can I stipulate that I want a Pet friendly home in the ballot?
A: Yes, you can! We run a Pet Friendly ballot that is drawn at the same time as the main ballot. You can say that you want Pet Friendly only, or do NOT want Pet Friendly, or that you do not mind one way or the other.
Q: I have a Ballot Request with 0 lines showing. Why is this?
A: You have either deleted all the request lines that you had previously input, or have quit the Ballot Request process before loading any request lines. Either load one or more request lines or delete the Ballot Request. If you leave it as it is, nothing will be processed in the Ballot.
Q: I can’t alter my Ballot preferences, but want to change them. What do I do?
A: Once you start entering a Ballot Request, any change to your preferences could invalidate the selections that you have already made, so to alter your preferences you have to delete your request and start again.
6. Marram Community Trust
Marram Community Trust FAQs
Q: When did the Post Office Welfare Trust change its name to Marram Community Trust?
A: The Post Office Welfare Trust was incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 on the 11th day of September 1987. Its name changed to Marram Community Trust on the 23rd day of December 2008.
Marram Community Trust remains a charitable trust and a not for profit organisation serving the needs of its community. This name change recognises that Marram now has 83 member organisations as well as New Zealand Post Limited within its community.
After 1987, member organisations became:
1. New Zealand Post Ltd
2. Postbank then becoming ANZ then ANZ National Bank Limited
3. Telecom New Zealand Ltd
4. or their subsidiary and successor organisations (at the absolute discretion of the Board of Trustees).
7. Lifetime Eligibility
Lifetime Eligibility FAQs
Q: What is the current qualification for Lifetime membership?
A: Marram Community Trust Board of Trustees, at its absolute discretion, agreed the following criterion with regard to an employee’s eligibility for consideration as a Lifetime member of Marram Community Trust. This replaces all previous criteria that were in place before 11 February 2009.
- An employee must have left employment with a member organisation and had five years service with member organisations, with the last two years having made continuous contributions to Marram Community Trust.
- An exception is - if any employee has been dismissed, they are not eligible for Lifetime status.
For full details of the Lifetime eligibility criteria and to download the Lifetime Declaration form if you think you qualify, see our Forms and Downloads page.
8. Cancellation Fees
Q: Do cancellation fees apply to all cancelled bookings?
A: Yes cancellation fees apply to all cancelled bookings. The notice period given before the commencement date of your booking will determine the percentage deduction amount. No refund will apply after the commencement of your stay. For short stays and single night bookings the fee is the cost of the first night’s booking. For all other bookings the fee varies in accordance with the notice period as detailed below.
- 3 weeks or more 20%
- 2 - 3 weeks 30%
- 1 - 2 weeks 40%
- Less than 1 week 50%
9. Promotion Conditions - 3 For 2 Deal Conditions
Q: What conditions apply to the 3 for 2 Deal Promotion?
A: The following condtions apply:-
- Surcharge applies for Lifetime members and Pet Friendly homes.
- Promotion does not apply to existing bookings.
- Two nights must be booked at the same location to receive the third night free at the same location.
- Holidays must be completed by 31 August 2010.