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. Holiday Promotion Conditions
10. Referral Competition Terms & Conditions
11. Joining Promotion Terms & Conditions
Definitions
- Contributors - employees of Affiliated Organisations who are currently contributing to the Trust.
- Lifetimer - past Contributors who have left employment at an Affiliated Organisation and meet the criteria to qualify for Lifetime status.
- Affiliated Organisations - an organisation that has met the Trust criteria. Click here to view the criteria.
- Ballot - a random draw to allocate homes at peak periods for those who have applied.
- Flexi-stays - holiday homes that can be booked on a nightly basis.
- Healthcare Assistance - healthcare benefits only available to Contributors. (Lifetimers are not eligible to apply).
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 affiliated 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 affiliated 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 Lifetimer when you are actually an Active Contributor and vice versa. Simply, if you are no longer an employee of an affiliated organisation and/or no longer paying contributions you are considered a Lifetimer – providing you meet the Lifetime status criteria. Please email enquiries@marram.co.nz to have a PDF of Lifetime status 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 Book a Holiday?
A: By clicking on Book a Holiday you will be able to:
- View current vacancies
- View our current promotional offers
- Book online
- View holiday homes, interior and exterior photos, maps, a brief description of the holiday area and our holiday homes and local attractions and events for you to enjoy during your holiday.
Q: What happens when I click on Take Care of Your Health?
A: By clicking here you will be able to find out:
- Healthcare Benefits eligible for reimbursement
- Healtcare Grant
- Terms and Conditions of claim eligibility
- How to make a claim
- List of Exclusions
- Healthcare matters
Q: What happens when I click on About Marram?
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 affiliated with 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
- change your password
2. Benefits & Claims
Claiming Benefits FAQs
Q: I put in a claim for a healthcare benefit 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 make payment within 10 working days.
Q: What if I forget to put my bank account details on my claim form?
A: Please send us an email advising these details. If we do not have your bank account details at the time of processing, 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.
Q: Can I claim for my dependent children?
A: Yes - you can claim healthcare expenses up to their 18th birthday. (This criteria changed on 15/6/11)
3. Take Care of Your Health
Take Care of Your Health FAQs
Q: Can I claim for loss of income due to illness?
A: No, Marram does not have any provision for financial assistance in the event that a Contributor can not work due to illness.
Q: What can I claim if I have treatment by an alternative therapist?
A: 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: Yes - 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, can I still be reimbursed 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 maximum 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 (provided they are purchased within New Zealand - overseas purchases are excluded). 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 for the person undergoing the consultation and details of the prescription. The online purchase needs to also outline detail of the prescription and who the prescription is for.
Q: Can I claim for online purchases, for example prescription medication?
A: Marram does not provide reimbursement for any online purchases, with the exception of glasses or contact lenses as detailed above, 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 reimbursements (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 change my booking once I have paid for it?
A: Yes you can! You will need to phone the Customer Service Team for this to be done. There is a $30 administration fee payable at the time of this change.
Q: I have won a holiday home prize, what happens to that when I leave employment at an Affiliated Organisation?
A: You must take your holiday before your final day of employment, unless you qualify for Lifetime Status.
Q: What are the prices for the Wellington City apartments?
A: It varies, depending on the number of nights booked, the number of bedrooms and whether there is a Lifetime surcharge.
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 Flexi-stay holiday home?
A: Flexi-stay holiday homes are available to be booked on a nightly basis, but you pay no more than the weekly rate for any part week single booking.
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. Please 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 sleep up to 10
- Ohakune No 3 sleeps up to 8
- 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
- Wellington City Apartments: 3 single bedroom apartments (3A sleeps 3, 3B and 3E sleep 2) and 3 two bedroom apartments (3C sleeps up to 6, 3D and 3F sleep up to 5).
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 and all Wellington City Apartments are fully serviced and linen is provided)
Q: What time can I arrive at the holiday home?
A: Check in time is 2 p.m. and check out time is 11 a.m. If you have booked a cleaner, check out time is 10 a.m. These times must be adhered to.
Q: How do I know 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 ‘Book a Holiday’
- Enter 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 corner of the Vacancy Search screen: every screen in Marram Online has one of these help links.
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. Make sure your search options are not too restrictive. If homes are fully booked (school holidays), then nothing will show.
Q: What happens with my future holiday home booking if I leave employment at an Affiliated Organisation?
A: As our holiday homes are exclusively for our Contributors or Lifetimers, we will contact you to discuss your booking. You may be eligible for Lifetime Status where you will be requested to pay the Lifetime surcharge.
Q: Where are the Flexi-stay and Pet Friendly holiday homes located?
A: Below are the locations for Flexi-stay and Pet Friendly holiday home locations.
Flexi-stay 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
• Kaikoura Unit 1
• Kaiteriteri Unit 1
• Lake Tekapo Unit 1
• Martinborough Site 1 & 2
• Momorangi Bay Unit 2
• Mount Maunganui Units 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14
• Napier units 1, 2 & 3
• Nelson 1, 2, 6 & 7
• New Brighton Unit 1
• Ohope Beach Units 1 & 2
• Ohakune Site 1, 2 & 3
• Orewa 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
• Rotorua Units 7, 8, 9, & 11
• Ruakaka Unit 1
• Russell Units 1 & 4
• Taupo Units 2, 3, & 5
• Te Anau Unit 1
• Turangi Unit 1
• Wanaka Unit 1
• Wellington South Unit 1
• Wellington City Apartments
• Westport Unit 2
• Whangamata Unit 1
• Whangarei Unit 1
• Whitianga Units 1 & 3
Pet friendly Holiday Homes
- Maraetai Beach Unit 1
- New Plymouth Unit 2
- Westport Unit 3
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. Flexi-stay holiday homes are available to be booked on a nightly basis, even at weekends.
Q: When are the Flexi-stay and Pet Friendly homes available for bookings?
A: Flexi-stay 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, Flexi-stay, 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.
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.
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, Martinborough and Wellington City in the ballot. Why is that?
A: Around 20% of our Flexi-stay homes are not available through the ballot. These homes are Flexi-stay homes that are not balloted, so none of these locations appear 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 registered charitable trust and a not for profit organisation serving the needs of its community. This name change recognises that Marram now has 83 affiliated 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 Status
Lifetime Status FAQs
Q: What does Lifetime Status mean?
A: Lifetime status means that you can book and ballot for the holiday homes, even once you have finished working at an affiliated organsation (provided you meet the Lifetime criteria detailed below).
Q: What is the current criteria for Lifetime status?
A: Marram Community Trust Board of Trustees, at its absolute discretion, agreed the following criteria with regard to an employee’s eligibility for consideration to enjoy Lifetime status with the Marram Community Trust. This replaces all previous criteria that were in place before 11 February 2009.
- An employee must have left employment with an affiliated organisation and had five years service with affiliated organisations, with continuous contributions for the last two years of their employment with an affiliated organisation.
- An exception is - if any employee has been dismissed, they are not eligible for Lifetime status.
Q: How much does it cost to have Lifetime Status?
A: There is no weekly contribution but there is an additional surcharge for holiday home bookings which is:
- $100 per week for Peak bookings
- $30 per week for Shoulder season bookings
- $20 per week for Off-Peak bookings
- $5 per night for nightly bookings
Q: Can I still claim for healthcare benefits?
A: No. Only contributors who are employed at affiliated organisations and making contributions to the Trust can claim for healthcare assistance.
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. Please refer below for the rates. No refund will apply after the commencement of your stay.
- 3 weeks or more 20%
- 2 - 3 weeks 30%
- 1 - 2 weeks 40%
- Less than 1 week 50%
9. Holiday Promotion Conditions
There are no special Holiday Promotions running at the moment
10. Referral Competition Terms & Conditions
There are no referral competitions running at the moment
11. Joining Promotion Terms & Conditions
- 50% discount off your first booked Holiday Home up to 7 nights.
- Holiday to be taken by 31 July 2012.
- 50% discount will be noted on customer file once first contribution has been paid.
- First contribution to have been received by 1st March 2012.
- Offer not valid in conjunction with other special offers and promotions.
- Marram’s tenancy terms and conditions apply.