'EMPOWERING through education’. Funding the promotion, encouragement and advancement of education. Funded by proceeds from Academic Dress Hire, Trusts, Corporates and Individuals. Kate Milligan Edger, the first woman in New Zealand to gain a university degree (in 1877) and the first woman in the British Empire to gain a Bachelor of Arts degree, a trailblazer for women's education, a role model for and champion of the female suffrage movement and a vocal exponent for women's contributions to public life. The Trust grew out of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand federation of Graduate Women, who started assisting with the regalia for graduation to help the University of Auckland over 40 years ago. Academic Dress Hire is owned by the Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust and channels all proceeds back to the community.