WAI MĀORI AROUND THE MOTU

About Wai Ora fund and Tiaki Wai Fund

Wai Māori Trust distributes two annual funds, the Wai Ora Fund and Tiaki Wai fund Both funds aim to:

› Develop expertise to promote and advance Māori interests in freshwater fisheries

› Increase iwi and hapū capacity and capability in freshwater fisheries and their ability to exercise rangatiratanga over their freshwater fisheries

› Promote and share indigenous fisheries expertise, knowledge and understanding, increase the quality and range of information to iwi and hapū on freshwater fisheries

› Enhance the health and wellbeing of the indigenous fisheries and their environment

Te Ika a Māui funded projects

Oturu Kaitiaki Limited (Muriwhenua Kaitiaki)

A project based in Kaitaia bringing together different hapū in the Northland region to engage kaitiaki whānau, sharing mātauranga learned in their first Wai Ora fund project, and to record baseline water quality measurements.

Te Ani Waata Whānau Trust

A project based in Maungatautari focussed on the restoration of the Mangeroa Gully through wānanga, gorse spraying, and planting of native trees along the gully.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga

A project based at key freshwater sites, Mimitangiatua Awa and Urenui Awa using the mauri compass framework focussed on tikanga and mātauranga Māori wānanga and site sampling.

$2m

So far over $2 million has been distributed through both funds to iwi, hapū and Māori across Aotearoa since 2012.

Environs Te Uri o Hau

A project based in Whangārei based on collating mātauranga knowledge with kaitiaki and presenting their findings in a report to their Kaitiaki Forum.

A project based in Tapuika, Bay of Plenty, focussed on protecting and enhancing the habitat of kai awa in the Kaituna River.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara

A project based in the Tarewa Pounamu area, Rotorua, focussed on planting in the riparian margins along the Utuhina Stream to help with flooding, erosion, sedimentation and prevent the growth of weeds.

Te Rākatō Marae

Project based in Kaiwaitau, Mahia, focussed on enabling and enhancing kaitiaki in the rohe by providing opportunities to share ahi kā knowledge through wānanga and building story boards with rangatahi.

Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa

A project based at Lake Koitiata, Bulls, focussed on developing a Cultural Health Index (CHI) system for the Lake and reconnect their people through mātauranga and whakapapa.

Te Wai Pounamu funded projects

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō

A project based at Lake Rotoroa, Nelson Lakes National Park, focussed on sampling tuna for laboratory analysis.

A project based in the Chatham Islands focussed on growing and planting native trees to protect tuna and whitebait habitats.

Providing better opportunities for the participation of iwi and hapū in resource management decision making processes as they relate to freshwater fisheries and habitat

Responding to legislative reform and policy

Te Wai Māori takes a proactive approach to ensure that agreements between Māori and the Crown as part of the Fisheries Settlement are recognised and upheld Over the year, Te Wai Māori has responded to several reforms and consultation processes by the Crown on matters affecting freshwater fisheries and their habitat, as outlined below

Resource Management and Freshwater Reforms

The Trust continued to support the Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group (FILG) and Freshwater Iwi Advisors Group (FIAG), seeking to ensure that the rangatiratanga of iwi and hapū guaranteed under Te Tiriti o Waitangi is upheld in the Government’s ongoing resource management reform and freshwater review processes including Māori rights and interests in freshwater, NPS-FM (National policy statement for freshwater management) implementation, and the Three Waters reform

National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity

The Trust submitted on the Ministry for the Environment’s National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) exposure draft . Concerns raised in the submission included that NPSIB has been developed with little meaningful participation by iwi, and as drafted would disproportionately affect Māori land failing to provide adequate resourcing, compensation, or incentives to allow iwi/Māori to participate

Supporting iwi and hapū through freshwater funding

Wai Ora Fund

The Wai Ora Fund supports projects from iwi, Māori groups, and individuals from around Aotearoa that contribute to the management and protection of freshwater fisheries and their habitat

In FY 21/22 the Trust continued to work with five existing Wai Ora funding recipients to complete their project milestones; Muriwhenua Kaitiaki, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara Trust, Te Ani Waata Whānau Trust, Kaituna Kaiawa Working Group and Te Rākatō Marae Trust The Trust worked with these groups to monitor their progress against project milestones

Furthermore the 2022 Wai Ora Fund was launched on 23 May, closing on 15 July 2022 A total of $200,000 was committed by the Board for the 2022 Wai Ora Fund .

A total of 26 applications for funding were received

The Board approved seven applications, received from, Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust, Ngāti Pāhauwera Development Trust, Te Wai Mauri Charitable Trust, Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust, Te Kaahui o Rauru, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Charitable Trust and Atihau Whanganui Incorporation These projects will span the upcoming 2022–2023 financial year

Tiaki Wai Fund

Te Wai Māori Trust continues to support small projects through the Tiaki Wai Fund, to support iwi and hapū to undertake small scale projects that aim to address information gaps about taonga species and habitat, as identified in the Understanding Taonga Freshwater Populations in Aotearoa New Zealand publication

In FY 21/22 the Trust continued to work with five Tiaki Wai recipients Ngāti Mutunga, Environs Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Te Aitanga o Ngā Uri o Wharekauri and Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa The Trust worked with these groups to monitor their progress against project milestones

Wai Māori Scholarship

This financial year, a new $30,000 scholarship was established to strengthen the presence of Māori experts in freshwater and freshwater fisheries related fields of academic study and professional fields, contributing to the advancement of one or more of the following areas:

› Indigenous freshwater species research

› Effects of climate change on indigenous freshwater species

› Kaupapa Māori freshwater research

› Māori rights and interests in freshwater

› Freshwater and/or freshwater fisheries/species management and protection

› Freshwater and/or freshwater fisheries/species policy, regulation, and development and building or strengthening connections of tauira to their iwi/hapū

A total of $30,000 was awarded and distributed between six tauira Māori recipients ranging from those undertaking undergraduate study, to PhD candidates at Whare Wānanga and universities pursuing research relating to freshwater and freshwater species kaupapa

Financial Performance

› Total operating revenue (loss) for the financial year was ($2,363,587) (2021: $3,711,228).

› Total operating expenditure for the year was $834,451 (2021: $752,988).

Ngā mihi,

Donna Flavell Chair, Te Wai Māori Trust