The design of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu embraces our cultural traditions. It incorporates the best corporate governance models we could find in the world and draws from the democratic structures of local government and Western best practice. Te Rūnanga board members are appointed following a democratic process and are responsible for the governance of tribal assets and investments in tribal development.

The initial asset base of Te Rūnanga was largely derived from the assets of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board and from the settlement of Te Kerēme – The Ngāi Tahu Claim (claims against the Crown for various breaches of  Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Since the time of settlement the asset base has grown and  Te Rūnanga has made distributions and invested over $254m in  iwi development, much of that being direct to our Papatipu Rūnanga and iwi members through Whai Rawa - matched savings programme as well as through education scholarships and grants. 
Ultimately, Ngāi Tahu invest to create the future we want for our tamariki (children) and mokopuna (grandchildren).