Te Tiriti o Waitangi — the Treaty of Waitangi — is the founding document of New Zealand. It establishes a relationship between the Crown and Māori, with specific rights and obligations on both sides. Despite its constitutional significance, Treaty obligations have been systematically breached, and Māori land loss, marginalisation, and economic exclusion have been the result.
Today, philanthropic investment can support the organisations working to advance Māori rights, protect and develop Māori land, educate about Treaty history and obligations, and support Māori self-determination. This guide covers this important area of grantmaking.
Historical land loss: Through a combination of legislation, Crown purchase (often coercive), and confiscation, Māori lost the vast majority of their lands following colonisation. Of approximately 66 million acres in 1840, Māori now hold approximately 5% as Māori land under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.
Treaty settlements: The Waitangi Tribunal, established in 1975, investigates Crown breaches of Treaty obligations. From the 1990s, the Crown began negotiating Treaty settlements — returning some land, making financial redress, and formally acknowledging breaches. Major settlements have included Ngāi Tahu (1998), Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi (still in progress), and many others. Settlement assets have enabled iwi to build significant economic and social capability.
Continuing rights claims: Many Treaty claims remain unresolved. Water rights, freshwater management, ocean resources (customary fisheries), and other contemporary issues continue to be contested through the Waitangi Tribunal and courts.
Māori land governance: Most remaining Māori land is held under multiple ownership through Māori land trusts and incorporations governed by the Māori Land Court. Managing land held in hundreds of interlocking ownership interests is complex, and many owners are disconnected from their land.
Legal advocacy and representation
Māori individuals, hapū, and iwi pursuing Treaty claims, land rights, or resource management cases need legal representation. The cost of litigation is significant and often beyond the resources of communities with historical land loss. Grants supporting legal services — through Māori legal aid organisations, iwi legal teams, or specialist Treaty lawyers — enable communities to exercise their rights.
Treaty education and awareness
Broad understanding of the Treaty — its history, its promises, and the consequences of its breach — is important for civic participation and public support for Treaty-based rights. Grants supporting Treaty education in schools, communities, and workplaces build the informed public needed for genuine Treaty partnership.
Waitangi Tribunal participation
Participating in Waitangi Tribunal hearings is resource-intensive — requiring historical research, legal representation, community consultation, and expert witnesses. Grants that enable hapū and iwi to participate effectively in Tribunal processes support the exercise of their rights.
Māori land development
Developing Māori land for economic, agricultural, or community use is a priority for many iwi and hapū. Land development often requires feasibility studies, planning processes, specialist advice, and capital. Grants supporting the development of Māori land in ways determined by the owning communities enable whānau to benefit from their land.
Papakāinga development
Papakāinga — housing on Māori land — enables whānau to live on their ancestral land. Developing papakāinga on Māori land faces complex legal, planning, and financing challenges. Grants supporting papakāinga development enable whānau to exercise their connection to their tūrangawaewae.
Reconnecting owners with land
Many Māori land owners are disconnected from their land — living in cities, overseas, or unaware of their ownership rights. Grants supporting owner engagement, whakapapa research, and reconnection with land help communities reclaim agency over their land assets.
Post-settlement governance and capability
Following Treaty settlements, iwi must establish and grow governance bodies, develop economic strategy, and build the institutional capability to manage settlement assets effectively. Grants supporting post-settlement capability building — governance training, financial management, strategic planning — enable iwi to make the most of hard-won settlements.
Protecting sacred sites and wāhi tapu
Māori sacred places, burial grounds, and sites of cultural significance need protection from development, excavation, and desecration. Grants supporting advocacy for wāhi tapu protection, archaeological site management, and legal protection of significant sites protect irreplaceable cultural heritage.
Tino rangatiratanga first: The principle of self-determination — that Māori decide their own priorities — must be central to any grantmaking in this space. Funders who define the agenda rather than supporting Māori-led priorities undermine the very rights they're trying to support.
Long timeframes: Treaty claims and land rights work operates on decades-long timeframes. Multi-year commitments are essential; one-year project grants are mismatched to the timeframe of legal and political change.
The relationship between economic and cultural: Māori land development is both economic and cultural — it's not just about commercial return but about maintaining relationship with whenua (land), enabling whānau to live on their land, and exercising mana whenua. Funders should understand this complexity.
Government is the primary partner: The Crown holds primary responsibility for Treaty obligations. Philanthropy complements but cannot substitute for government responsibility. Advocacy for government to fulfil its Treaty obligations is a legitimate and important use of philanthropic funding.
Tahua's grants management platform supports funders investing in Māori rights, Treaty work, and iwi development — with the grant management, reporting, and relationship tools that help funders support long-term, community-led rights and development work.