Ngāi Tahu Fund

Tōku Kāi Tahutaka, Tōku Mana, Tōku Taoka Tuku
My culture, my pride, my legacy

2008 saw the completion of the first three years of the Ngāi Tahu Fund so it was timely to conduct an external evaluation of the Ngāi Tahu Fund. The evaluation feedback was overwhelmingly positive, a key theme being that the Fund is "going well", and has become known as 'The People's Fund'. This notion derived from whānau, hapū and communities being able to determine, and develop their own cultural pathways.

In the last financial year, two funding rounds were completed with 82 applications being approved to a funding total of $1,035,778. Projects were wide ranging and included whakapapa, māhinga kai, whakairo, histories and pakiwaitara, te reo, tikanga and kawa, archiving taonga, whaikōrero and karanga wānanga, waka related projects, kapa haka wānanga and hīkoi to sites of historical significance.

The evaluation also identified that the strategic large project category for projects over $30,000, can potential provide a greater opportunity for long-term cultural impact and are are more likely to be self-sustaining once the funding has finished. They are generally iwi-wide projects, or have close involvement with at least one rūnanga.

To enable the Fund to encourage more projects in the large funding category, they would need to be able to provide a commitment in principal to funding over the next two to three years. The Fund has now had approval to provide this which will allow for long term strategic development in the large project category.

Three new strategic goals have also been developed as a result of the evaluation. These will be implemented from 1 November 2009 and will consider projects that support at least one of these Strategic Goals:

• Build the cultural knowledge and participation of Ngāi Tahu Whānui
• Encourage and grow the cultural practices, including mahinga kai, of Ngāi Tahu Whānui, for us and our children after us
• Encourage cultural leadership for today and for the future of Ngāi Tahu Whānui (expertise).

Applications can be submitted in the following categories:

• Small Projects (up to $5,000)
• Medium Projects ($5,000-$30,000)
• Large Projects by Expression of Interest (over $30,000).

Ngāi Tahu Fund Projects

Raranga Wānanga

Kāi Tahu ki Tāmaki Makaurau are well known for their cultural initiatives that pull together their Kāi Tahu communities. Organised by Patricia Wiley, this project was particularly successful at bringing our Ngāi Tahu wāhine together to learn about taonga raranga. This included appropriate karakia, waiata and tikanga associated with this art. There was excellent feedback from those who attended this event.

Rakiura Tītī Islands Administering Body - Pānui Tītī

The Rakiura Māori community are well informed and involved in issues relating to the Tītī Islands and the harvesting of tītī. The Ngāi Tahu Fund has supported the ongoing production of the highly successful and popular newsletter The Tītī Times. The Ngāi Tahu Fund is also assisting with the further development of the Tītī website. The Tītī Times is mailed out bi-annually to more than 1200 individuals and organisations, including many Rakiura Māori and Ngāi Tahu whānau and focusses on all things relating to tītī including the harvesters, the islands, history, culture, science, art, research and governance.

Cultural Wānanga Series

Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou have been inspirational with their cultural wānanga series, focusing on topics that include whakapapa, whaikōrero, karanga, creation stories and Ōtākou rohe history with a particular focus on Kāi Tahu reo. Support from the rūnanga and the Ngāi Tahu Fund has been instrumental in supplying expert tutors to facilitate these wānanga.

Full details of projects funded are available on the Ngāi Tahu Fund pages of the website and are also published in Te Pānui Rūnaka.

"Strengthening Ngāi Tahu Cultural Excellence through sustainability, innovation and tenacity."

Saving a Lake

After almost six years of planning Wairewa Rūnanga is engaged in an exciting, innovative project to breathe new life into Ngāi Tahu's only customary lake, Te Roto o Wairewa.

As part of an overall plan to establish a Mahinga Kai Cultural Park, a concept first identified in the Ngāi Tahu 2025 Vision document, the restoration of the lake is a significant cultural priority and rūnanga chairman, Robin Wybrow says the sheer scope and scale of the restoration project is a bold statement promoting Ngāi Tahu identity and cultural values. [More...]