Feature stories, media statements, speeches and more.
Māori Purposes Act 2022 gives Māori entities greater autonomy
On 28 November 2022, the Māori Purposes Bill received Royal Assent, meaning that the changes the Bill proposed are now made into law through the Māori Purposes Act 2022.
Wāhine Māori building careers thanks to Cadetships
Being a role model for her large whānau was at the heart of Melany Brown’s success with the Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships programme and Bayleys Whanganui.
Paiheretia te Muka Tāngata – Strengthening relationships through wānanga
“Visualise the weaving of harakeke, noting fine threads by themselves break easily, but when bound together they are impossible to break”
The future is bright for Ōwhata
Thanks to funding through Te Puni Kōkiri Whenua Māori Fund, Ōwhata 2B and Ōwhata 2B7 Trusts in Rotorua is future-proofing their land for generations to come.
Progressive Procurement Māori Business Capability Uplift Programme wins award
Te Puni Kōkiri and partner Height Project Management were announced winners at the Building Nations 2050 Impact Awards this week for our successful Māori Business Capability Uplift Programme.
Grace Smit and Geoff Short receive Te Tohu Ratonga Tūmatanui o Aotearoa - The New Zealand Public Service Medal
Two Te Puni Kōkiri kaimahi were celebrated for their outstanding work and commitment to New Zealand and New Zealanders at the 2022 Public Service Day Awards.
Giving vulnerable babies a better start in life
The Petal Foundation is the only specialist care facility in Tāmaki Makaurau for babies born to mothers who use drugs or alcohol.
Harnessing the Tairāwhiti sun for solar farm
Thanks to the Te Puni Kōkiri Te Ringa Hāpai Whenua Fund, Te Rimu Trust is harnessing the energy of the sun to empower their local community, build resilience and gain energy sovereignty.
Pilot pairs kaupapa Māori with mental health services
A collaborative multi-agency pilot, named Rapua Te Āhuru Mōwai (Rapua), with Te Toka Tumai, Mahitahi Trust and CORT Housing, is leading to a dramatic decrease in acute readmissions for whaiora (mental health patients).
Feedback welcome on possible changes to the Māori Trustee Act
Te Tumu Paeroa and Te Puni Kōkiri are exploring possible changes to the function and support provided by the Māori Trustee and are seeking feedback before end of November 2022.
Cultivating Careers Through Cadetships
On the shores of Tasman Bay, Kaupapa Tupuranga is cultivating career pathways on the green pastures of Motueka. Beginning in 2019, the Cadetship programme was created with the aim to connect, grow, and develop whānau on their own whenua.
Wi Pere Trust wins 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy
Wi Pere Trust took home the 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori sheep and beef farm at the Ahuwhenua Trophy awards dinner on October 21st.
Returning unclaimed war medals to whānau
Where are Koro’s war medals? For many whānau of the 28th Māori Battalion, they were never claimed. Whether from a change in address, not wanting the reminder - or a sense that something so significant should have been presented in person, not in the post.
Restoring the mauri to ‘diseased’ whenua
Thanks to funding from Te Puni Kōkiri Whenua Māori Fund, Paengaroa South 3 can finally look to restore the mauri to their whenua.
Te Arawa marae benefit from MCCF
More than 50 Te Arawa marae have used $4.3 million from the Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund to build the resilience of vulnerable communities and help hapori Māori manage the impact of COVID-19.
Toby’s Seafood representing te ao Māori with kai
Friday night fish and chips are a treat for whānau throughout Aotearoa. With takeaway shops on nearly every corner, Pat Tobin, Director, Toby’s Seafood knows it is their te ao Māori approach that sets them apart. With counters full of fresh kaimoana and ika, a te reo Māori menu, legendary fry bread, and manaakitanga at the heart of their mahi they have a recipe for success.
Māori Emerging Leaders Programme
Former Te Puni Kōkiri staff Leith Comer, Rachel Jones, and Mere Pohatu imparted their wisdom and experience onto a new group of public servants.
Canadian delegation visit
A piece by Derek Fox
2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy upholds farming excellence
The three finalists for the 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy Māori Excellence in Farming Award for sheep and beef farming have now each hosted their Field Day event.
Art as a tool for growth
Kākano Youth Arts Collective is creating a safe space for vulnerable West Auckland youth to create art and gain valuable life skills and work experience.
New data on Māori businesses
The business activities of Māori Authorities and other Māori enterprises come under the spotlight in new data produced by Statistics NZ, contributing to a growing kete of information.
Te Reo Māori takes centre stage in Tāmaki
Te Pou theatre in West Auckland are champions of Te Reo Māori, with hopes to normalise the reo through performing arts.
Marae breaks down barriers for job seekers
Papakura Marae is set to host its first Nōu Te Ao: The world is yours employment expo, with hopes to connect whānau Māori to potential employers in a ‘safe space’.
Moe mai rā Peter Little
This week we acknowledge the passing of our long-serving colleague and friend Peter Little (MNZM).
Māori Housing: Urban development in Tāmaki
Whenua where an urban Māori housing development will soon sit was blessed and had the sod turned recently in Mt Wellington, Tāmaki Makaurau.
Local Intermediary Connect Programme Supporting Pakihi Māori to Grow
Lifting the capability of Māori businesses to realise their aspirations is the goal for founder of Awhi Rōpu Consultants (ARC), Aroha Dorset.
Wāhine Māori celebrated at businesswomen awards
Te Puni Kōkiri was a major sponsor at the recent Māori Women’s Development Inc (MWDI) awards night in Tāmaki Makaurau, celebrating businesswomen and their pakihi.
2023 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships now open
Applications for the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships for the 2023 academic year are now open.
Te Matapaeroa 2020: New data into Māori Business
Wahine Māori have a strong involvement in Māori business, new Te Puni Kōkiri research shows.
Rangatahi Manawaroa
Rangatahi Manawaroa (formerly the Rangatahi Suicide Prevention Fund) has been renamed to better reflect the range of community initiatives contributing to improving rangatahi well-being and resilience that are funded.
Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund now closed
The $132 million Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund closed on 30 June, after more than eight months of amazing effort by kaitono around the motu to protect whānau.
Matariki stars bring our communities together
As Aotearoa gears up to celebrate its first Matariki public holiday on Friday, Te Puni Kōkiri reflects on this significant kaupapa for Māori that it has always supported.
Paiheretia hauora hub opens
The new Paiheretia hauora hub will change the lives of those in the Corrections system and their whānau, says Choyce Maere, Principal Advisor Paiheretia te Muka Tāngata.
MCCF Fund fully committed
Te Puni Kōkiri kaimahi are now winding up activity for the $130 million Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund.
Māori Housing: Iwi prototypes underway
Over the past year, Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga have been working with a number of iwi groups to test, develop, and implement new Māori housing models.
Māori businesses in Tāmaki thriving through capability uplift
Our second video to illustrate how Māori businesses are succeeding through our Progressive Procurement Capability Uplift Programme is gaining excellent social media reach.
Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships support leads to success
Two kaitono supported through the Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetships fund have won big at the annual Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ) awards in Auckland.
Kākano ki te rākau: Pūhoro graduates with Te Puni Kōkiri support
Pūhoro STEMM Academy has been helping rangatahi Māori into science and technology (STEM) – and now with Te Puni Kōkiri support they’ve graduated themselves into a charitable trust.
Knowledge Empowers Utakura 7 Incorporation to Realise Whenua Aspirations
In the lush ngahere of the Utakura Valley, south of Hokianga, lies around 1639 hectares of whenua Māori, managed by the Utakura 7 Incorporation, established in 1968. The Incorporation Committee of Management is working hard to realise the economic, cultural, and environmental aspirations for the whenua.
Producing Healthy Kai for Happy Tamariki
Kiwigarden believes the foundation for happy kids is good health.
Rangatahi working to practice and inform youth work in Aotearoa
For a group of six rangatahi Māori and Pasifika, 2021 was a year of personal growth, where they trained in their chosen career field and had the opportunity to inform how youth work will be carried out in Aotearoa for generations to come.
Canterbury Hauora Coordination Hub
The Ōtautahi Te Puni Kōkiri team is playing a vital support role by contributing to the Canterbury Hauora Coordination Hub, a cross-agency collaboration dedicated to the Canterbury region’s Covid-19 response.
Drafting to commence on Declaration Plan, targeted engagement feedback released
Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson has released the feedback from targeted engagement with Māori on developing a plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration plan) in New Zealand.
Long-term Insights Briefing 2022 - Share Your Whakaaro
Te Puni Kōkiri is currently preparing its 2022 Long-term Insights Briefing. The briefing focuses on our Te Puni Kōkiri vision of Thriving Whānau - that when whānau are thriving, so do their communities, hapū, iwi and all of Aotearoa.
Matakaoa ‘Immunity Community’ Wins New Zealand Community of the Year
The Matakaoa community from the top of Te Tai Rāwhiti have been named this year’s winner of Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau – NZ Community of the Year award.
The award recognises the excellence, innovation and aroha shown by whānau of Matakaoa in facing the dangers of COVID-19.
Māori housing: Whānau enjoying papakāinga life in Tauranga Moana
On a sloped section surrounded by orchards, overlooking Rangataua Bay in Tauranga, sit nine new whare all part of the Ranginui 12 Trust papakāinga.
Māori Housing: Large papakāinga underway in Motueka
As dawn broke on Monday morning, karakia rang out around Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka.
Regional focus with Omicron support for Māori communities
Te Puni Kōkiri kaimahi are working closely with regional providers to support whānau through the Omicron phase of COVID-19.
Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa
Celebrating the New Zealander of the Year 2022 recipients
From Te Puni Kōkiri cadet to the 2022 Young New Zealander of the Year: “Kia pai mai hoki e hoa”
Nau Mai Rā co-founder Ezra Hirawani (Waikato-Tainui) has been named the 2022 Te Mātātahi o Te Tau | Young New Zealander of The Year for his mahi towards power equity in Aotearoa New Zealand.
He maimai aroha ki a Tā Wira Gardiner
Sir Harawira (Wira) Tiri Gardiner
4 Hepetema 1943 – 17 Maehe 2022
E te Rangatira, Sir Wira Gardiner, thank you for your service
Kua hinga te tōtara nui o te wao nui a Tāne. Tangi hotuhotu ana ngā manu. Me tō iwi Māori.
More pūtea supports Māori communities through Omicron
Whānau around the motu will receive quick and targeted support from the Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund over the next three and a half months.
Supporting Māori businesses to thrive
Based in the sunny Hawke’s Bay, Māori-owned business Kanapu Hempery is thriving. Combining mātauranga Māori and contemporary technology to develop high quality, Aotearoa grown hemp seed products.
Cadetships: Supporting forestry workers back into the ngahere
Gisborne contractors Gavin and Chrystal Edmonds are helping forestry workers not only recover from drug addictions, but they're also supporting them back into work.
Ka kite anō to our summer interns
As raumati draws to a close and the University year starts back, our interns are preparing to depart from beneath the korowai of Te Puni Kōkiri.
Omicron: Whānau planning with Karawhiua
Ka ora pea au i a koe, ka ora koe i a au. Perhaps I survive because of you and you because of me.
Kura Kaupapa Māori keeping their West Auckland community safe
Kaimahi from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae have been putting in the hard yards to protect their community against COVID-19.
Extra government support for Māori and Pacific Omicron response
Extra support is being made available to Māori and Pacific communities as they continue to face the impact of the current Omicron outbreak.
Supporting more Māori into quality mahi
Growing the economy and getting more Māori into employment, education and training are at the heart of the Government’s new Māori Employment Action Plan.
NZDF and Te Puni Kōkiri welcome new Māori staff into the public sector
Māori contribute significantly to the New Zealand Defence Force but what happens to them and all the leaders skills they possess once they decide to leave? And what can Māoridom do to use their skills?
Papakāinga projects underway in Reporoa
The Government is supporting a new papakāinga development in the rural community of Reporoa.
$15.7 million allocated in latest Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund tranche
A further 12 proposals totalling $15.7 million have been approved by Ministers through the Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund (MCCF) to build resilience and continue to support vaccination uptake.
Progressive Home Ownership helps Taranaki whānau buy first home
Last year, Vicki and Dean Wall bought their first home in Ōpunake, a whare they had been renting for the past 13 years.
Ngā Ara Whakatupuranga | Strengthening Māori leadership in the public service
Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Ope Kātua (NZDF) have joined forces for a second year to tautoko their service personnel as they shed the uniform for civilian life.
Expressions of Interest for Judge of the Māori Land Court appointment 2022
On behalf of the Minister, Te Puni Kōkiri seek expressions of interest for position of Judge of the Māori Land Court. The location of the position has not yet been decided and will be confirmed as part of this process.