Tahua Marae Hapai Ora Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

About the Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

This grant supports both mana whenua (Māori tribal groups with authority over the land) and mātāwaka (Māori who live in the region but are not mana whenua) marae to achieve Marae Ora (Marae Wellbeing).

Marae Ora is one of the seven pou (outcome areas) of Tāmaki Ora, Auckland Council’s Māori Outcomes Strategy 2025–2027.

Marae are vibrant, resilient centres of Māori life - anchoring whānau, hapū and iwi, enabling papakāinga and supporting wider community connection, care and resilience.

Visit Tāmaki Ora – Māori outcomes performance measurement framework to read the framework.

Who can apply

You can apply if you are:

one of the 33 established or eight new marae supported by Auckland Council
a mana whenua or mātāwaka marae
a trust, authority or other formally recognised body
a Māori reservation
a not-for-profit group with good governance and management processes in place.

Established and new marae

Mana whenua marae

Marae name	Address	Local board
Haranui Marae (Otakanini Haranui Marae)	64 Haranui Road, Haranui	Rodney
Kawa Marae (Ngāti Wai ki Aotea)	Kawa Road, Great Barrier Island	Aotea/Great Barrier
Makaurau Marae	8 Ruaiti Road, Māngere	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Motairehe Marae	Motairehe Road, Great Barrier Island	Aotea/Great Barrier
Ngaa Hau e Whaa o Pukekohe	60 Beatty Road, Pukekohe	Franklin
Ngāti Kōhua Marae	877 Clevedon Kawakawa Road, Clevedon	Franklin
Omaha Marae (Te Kiri)	14 Omaha Block Access Road, Leigh	Rodney
Ōrākei Marae	59A Kitemoana Street, Ōrākei	Ōrākei
Puatahi Marae	3485 Kaipara Coast Highway, Glorit	Rodney
Puukaki Marae	161A/163 Puukaki Road, Māngere	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Rereteewhioi Marae	83 Tahurangatira Road, Waiuku	Franklin
Reweti Marae (Whiti Te Rā o Reweti Marae)	1285 State Highway 16, Reweti	Rodney
Taahuna Marae	38 Tahuna Pa Road, Waiuku	Franklin
Te Aroha Pā (Araparera Marae)	8 West Coast Road, Araparera	Rodney
Te Hana Te Ao Marama Marae	311 State Highway 1, Te Hana	Rodney
Te Kia Ora Marae (Kakanui Marae)	2263 Kaipara Coast Highway, Kakanui	Rodney
Te Puea Memorial Marae	41R Miro Road, Māngere Bridge	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Umupuia Marae	163 Maraetai Coast Road, Clevedon	Franklin
Whaataapaka Marae	258C Whatapaka Road, Waiuku	Franklin

Mātāwaka marae

Marae name	Address	Local board
Awataha Marae	58 Akoranga Drive, Northcote	Kaipātiki
Hoani Waititi Marae	451-459 West Coast Road, Glen Eden	Waitākere
Manurewa Marae	81R Finlayson Avenue, Manurewa	Manurewa
Mataatua Marae	17 Killington Crescent, Māngere	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Ngā Whare Waatea Marae	31 Calthorp Close, Māngere	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Ngāti Ōtara Marae	100 Ōtara Road, Ōtara	Ōtara-Papatoetoe
O Wairoa Marae (Te Whare Wānanga o Wairoa)	37 Uxbridge Rd, Howick	Howick
Papakura Marae	29 Hunua Road, Papakura	Papakura
Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae	141R Robertson Road, Māngere East	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
Piritahi Marae	53 Tahatai Road, Waiheke Island	Waiheke
Ruapōtaka Marae	96-108 Line Road, Glen Innes	Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
Te Herenga Waka o Orewa Marae	2A Blue Gum Ave, Stanmore Bay	Hibiscus-Bays
Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae	65-73 Premier Avenue, Point Chevalier	Albert-Eden
Te Piringatahi o Te Maungaarongo Marae	7/9 Luckens Road, West Harbour	Henderson-Massey
Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae	65-73 Premier Avenue, Point Chevalier	Albert-Eden
Te Tira Hou Marae	2 Caen Road, Panmure	Maungakiekie-Tāmaki

Note: O Wairoa Marae (Te Whare Wānanga o Wairoa), a council asset, may be eligible for funding.

Marae	Mātāwaka / Mana whenua	Address	Local board
He Oranga Wairua Marae	Mātāwaka	Beach Haven, Shepherds Park	Kaipātiki
Ngāti Te Ata	Mana whenua	New build - no address listed	Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Onekiritea Marae	Mana whenua	Bomb point	Upper Harbour
Paoa Whanake	Mana whenua	Omaru Reserve, Point England	Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
Taimanawaiti Marae	Mana whenua	625 Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd, Clevedon	Franklin
Te Atatū Marae	Mātāwaka	6 Abbotleigh Avenue, Te Atatū Peninsula	Henderson-Massey
Te Henga	Mana whenua	Bethell's Beach	Waitākere
Te Motu a Hiaroa	Mana whenua	Puketutu Island	Māngere-Ōtāhuhu

New marae that are not listed in the table may also be eligible for the fund.

Who cannot apply

You cannot apply if you are:

an individual
a group with no formal legal structure
a group set up for profit
an institutional marae associated with:
- a school, polytechnic or university
- a church
- the armed forces
- a social service provider
- any other institution.

What we will fund

Marae have told us they need funding for capacity, resilience and manaaki (support).

We have $50,000 funding available for each of these five areas:

governance and management support – building capacity to achieve operational and financial sustainability
marae activations – marae-based programmes to strengthen cultural identity
non-fixed assets – equipment or repair of permanent taonga (a treasured item, physical, cultural or spiritual)
digital infrastructure and innovation – connecting marae digitally to whānau and community
energy efficiency – efficient and renewable energy solutions.

We have two other areas of funding:

development support for new marae
other areas that help marae to achieve Marae Ora.

These areas have conditions and we will assess them on a case-by-case basis.

What we do not fund

Operating costs including maintenance.
Permanent staffing.
Physical infrastructure.
Non-marae activities.
Requests outside the criteria described in the guidelines document.

Types of projects funded by the grant

Community

Outcomes

The fund supports marae to:

grow systems and capability to manaaki iwi, hapū, whānau and communities
deliver cultural events and programmes
purchase equipment or repair taonga
be digitally connected and innovative
establish energy-efficient and renewable energy solutions
progress new marae development (conditions apply).

We can consider other requests if they support marae ora.

Before you apply

We recommend you read the application guidelines. The document describes:

the eligibility criteria and funding priorities
the funding process and how to prepare your application
how we assess applications and funding decisions
your reporting requirements.

Guidelines for Cultural Initiatives Fund - Marae

PDF download 3 MB

How to apply

We use a two-step application process. The first step is to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). You can submit an EOI at any time during the year.

Email MOF@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you need help with your EOI or have questions about the fund.

Submit an EOI

What happens after you submit your EOI

We will contact you within six weeks of receiving your EOI.

If we select your EOI, we will invite you to submit a full application. Full applications close on 27 February 2026.

If we do not select your EOI, we will let you know why. We may invite you to submit your application again.

More grant details

You may also be eligible to apply for our Cultural Initiatives Fund – Papakāinga on Marae and Māori Housing Grant.

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Tahua Marae Hapai Ora Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

About the Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

Who can apply

Established and new marae

Mana whenua marae

Mātāwaka marae

Who cannot apply

What we will fund

What we do not fund

Types of projects funded by the grant

Outcomes

Before you apply

Guidelines for Cultural Initiatives Fund - Marae

How to apply

What happens after you submit your EOI

More grant details

Need help?

Other Auckland Council links

Tahua Marae Hapai Ora Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

About the Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae

Who can apply

Established and new marae

Established marae

Mana whenua marae

Mātāwaka marae

New marae

Who cannot apply

What we will fund

What we do not fund

Types of projects funded by the grant

Outcomes

Before you apply

Guidelines for Cultural Initiatives Fund - Marae

How to apply

What happens after you submit your EOI

More grant details