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Contribution and Community
Members of Te Pitau Whakarei kapa haka from Nelson Intermediate School
Photos: Melissa Banks
Māori entities such as Wakatū are responsible for managing taonga in order to meet the aspirations of our whānau and our purpose, which is to enable whānau wellbeing across generations while preserving and enhancing their taonga or assets.
Across Te Tauihu, Māori entities differ in purpose and size. They range from Wakatū, which is a whānau and hapū organisation representing its Māori land owners, to entities such as Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa Iwi Trust (NRAIT), which represents the interests of hapū based in Motueka, to iwi entities such as Ngāti Tama ki te Waipounamu Trust and Ngāti Koata Trust, which manage post-Treaty settlement assets on behalf of their beneficiaries.
Recognising they can’t do everything, decisions need to be made by Māori organisations about how best to use the resources and about the areas they will focus on at different times. These areas of focus could be education and building our people’s capability, which is a particular area of focus for Wakatū, to housing and health initiatives and economic or environmental work.
Since our establishment in 1977, the Owners of Wakatū have been committed to supporting different initiatives for our whānau and within our region, through targeted support which aligns with our sponsorship policy. We believe the initiatives we support are good for our whānau and, by default, good for the wider community of the Whakatū region.
Through our sponsorship activity, we have contributed to waka ama, by purchasing waka to support our regional waka ama clubs as well as providing financial support to attend national and international competitions.
For many years, we have supported the growth and development of the marae in our rohe through grants for targeted capital expenditure. We are also keen supporters of kapa haka. In 2018, we supported the students of Nelson Central School to attend the regional kapa haka competitions in the North Island.
Members of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia te Mātangi kapa haka
We contribute to the development of the arts in Whakatū, particularly through sponsorship of the Nelson Arts Festival and performances which celebrate te reo Māori and Māori stories. We also support national and international events which celebrate Māori success and build Māori capability, such as the annual Federation of Maori Authorities (FOMA) conference and the University of Auckland Aotearoa Māori Business Leaders Awards.
Our sponsorship is related to a key aim in Te Pae Tawhiti, our 500-year plan, which is committed to making Te Tauihu a great place to work and live – a place where our families are able to work and live well, over generations. When we are making decisions about which initiatives to support in our community, we do so by thinking about how they will contribute to the health and wellbeing of our families and the wider community, in the short and long term.
