Te Pūtea o Whenua Māori

The Whenua Māori Fund supports whenua Māori based economic, cultural, social and environmental projects which help strengthen whānau, communities, regions and the New Zealand economy.

It assists Trustees and owners of whenua Māori to explore the potential of their whenua and to investigate the means of lifting productivity, either through improving and growing existing operations, diversification, or preparing for new ventures. 

Last updated: Rātū, 30 Haratua, 2023 | Tuesday, 30 May 2023

Te Ataarangi Parata, Te Kaha Nursery 2IC, nurturing the young plants in Te Heriko, the plant nursery owned and operated by Te Kaha Landowners Group (TKG). TKG are supporting aspirations for whānau, including to whenua and employment. Photo credit: Josie McClutchie.

 

Criteria for applications

To be eligible to apply for funding from the Whenua Māori Fund:

  • Your whenua must be Māori freehold land. To check, enter your block details on the Tupu.NZ website, Find your whenua https://www.tupu.nz/
  • Your whenua must have a governing entity, i.e. Trust, Incorporation or other entity established under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 unless there are seven or fewer owners
  • If there are seven or fewer owners, each owner must be supportive of an application to the Fund.

How to apply

Applications can be made at any time throughout the year. If you think the Whenua Māori Fund could support you and your whānau, please contact your nearest Te Puni Kōkiri regional office, so our staff can help determine your eligibility and discuss your ideas for developing your whenua.

You can find the details of our regional offices here.

Whenua Māori Fund Application Form

For information about the Fund and to apply, please read the Fund information, application form and guidance form here. [Word 726KB]

Our whenua resources and services

Whenua Māori Services

Whānau development through whenua is an ongoing aspiration for Māori Freehold Landowners. For more information on how Te Puni Kōkiri could support you to achieve your whenua aspirations, click here.

Tupu.nz

Tupu is a one-stop shop for information about whenua Māori. The website provides access to tools, resources and reports about Māori land blocks. The website also explores ways you can better connect, look after and develop your whenua.

Māori Housing Network

Te Puni Kōkiri provides advice and funding information on the housing/ papakāinga needs of Māori land owners

 

 

Further whenua information and support

Māori Land Online

This resource from the Māori Land Court assists you to locate your land and neighbouring Māori land blocks that have the potential to be part of your application. It also presents information about the governance structure for your land and owner information.

Ministry of Primary Industries

Ministry of Primary Industries offers a range of funding and programmes, including Māori Agri-business, Sustainable Farming Fund and One Billion Trees Programme.

Department of Conservation

Department of Conservation offers the Ngā Whenua Rāhui/Mātauranga Kura Taiao Funds.

 

Project Overviews

To give you an idea of the types of projects the Whenua Māori Fund can support, we have provided overviews of some of the projects we have supported. You can view the Project Overviews of the Whenua Māori Fund recipients here.

Related News and Stories

Read our latest news and stories for this kaupapa.

The future is bright for Ōwhata

  • Date: 28 November 2022

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.

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Harnessing the Tairāwhiti sun for solar farm

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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.

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Wi Pere Trust wins 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy

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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.

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Restoring the mauri to ‘diseased’ whenua

  • Date: 24 October 2022

Thanks to funding from Te Puni Kōkiri Whenua Māori Fund, Paengaroa South 3 can finally look to restore the mauri to their whenua.

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2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy upholds farming excellence

  • Date: 23 September 2022

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.

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Knowledge Empowers Utakura 7 Incorporation to Realise Whenua Aspirations

  • Date: 05 May 2022

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.

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