Whenua Māori Fund

Across the motu, whānau, hapū and iwi Māori are looking for ways to improve how their land works for them.

The Whenua Māori Fund supports Māori land owners to explore different uses of land and ways of boosting its productivity.

Project Overviews

Since the Whenua Māori Fund was launched in February 2016, Māori land owners and trustees around the country have received funding to improve their existing operations, diversity or prepare for new opportunities on their whenua.

You can view the Project Overviews of the Whenua Māori Fund recipients here.

Brochure

A brochure about the Whenua Māori Fund can be found here [PDF, 314KB].

Investment Plan

The Whenua Māori Fund Investment Plan for 2015-16, which sets out the approach of the Fund and its priorities can be found here [PDF, 456KB].

Application Form

To be eligible for funding from the Whenua Māori Fund applications must come from trustees of Māori freehold land, including blocks for which the Māori Trustee is responsible for, or owners of a Māori freehold land block if there are seven owners or fewer.

You may submit applications at any time throughout the year and we strongly recommend that you work with Regional Office staff, in the region where your whenua is located, during the planning and development of you application. Your request for Whenua Māori Funding must be submitted on the application form.

For more please contact your local Te Puni Kōkiri Regional Office.

Application form [DOCX, 104KB].

More questions

If your whānau or organisation is looking for ways to improve their land, contact us to find out how the Fund may be able to help.

Other information

There are two principal databases which may assist you in completing your application form:

  • 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.

  • The Māori Land Visualisation Tool
    This resource from Landcare Research assists Māori land owners make informed decisions about land use.

Regional Growth Studies

Māori land productivity initiatives which are identified in Regional Growth Studies can be accessed here.

Other sources of support for Māori Land

There are a range of other government programmes and initiatives supporting Māori land owners, including:

Events and Updates

Latest events and updates for this section are listed below.

  • New whenua development calls people home

    • Date: 01 October 2020

    On a brilliant sky-blue day, whānau gathered on their ancestral land near Te Araroa on the East Cape to plant more than 1300 lime trees.

    Read more

  • Taranaki maara kai nourishing body, mind and soul

    • Date: 08 November 2019

    It’s not unusual for a garden to grow kai. But what about maara that also grow language and communities? That is exactly what is blooming under the watchful gaze of maunga Taranaki in Te Taihauāuru.

    Read more

  • Honeys of Te Urewera only the start

    • Date: 26 June 2018

    Every morning, Brenda Tahi wakes up in the valley of Ruatāhuna, and pours herself a hot cup of lime and honey sourced from the pristine Te Urewera forest that surrounds her home.

    Read more

  • $7 million for Whenua Māori Programme

    • Date: 21 May 2018

    As part of the Government's commitment to fit-for-purpose services for Māori land owners, $7 million has been set aside for the Whenua Māori Programme in Budget 2018.

    Read more

  • A man on a mission to bring people together

    • Date: 17 May 2018

    Standing up from his seat, Toko Kapea pulls out a map and holds it up high, letting the sheet unfold and roll down to the ground, revealing the Te Tai Hauāuru region.

    Read more

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