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The purpose of this grant is to:
- support iwi, hapū and whānau
- increase opportunities for papakāinga on Marae and Māori housing development on Māori Freehold Land and Treaty Settlement Land within Tāmaki Makaurau.
Who can apply
To be eligible for the grant the applicant must:
- be represented by a trust, authority or other formally recognised body, or gazetted or set apart as a Māori Reservation
- have appropriate governance and management structures, policies and processes in place that reflect tikanga Māori
- be not-for-profit.
Land ownership
Papakāinga on Marae
Land that meets the funding criteria will be:
- administered under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 where owned by a trust, entity or group made up of Mana Whenua, Hapū, or Whānau
- general title where owned by entities who have established an urban marae as a place for Whānau Māori living in urban settings
- public in circumstances where lands are leased by marae and approval has been given by the relevant public body to use the land.
Māori housing
Land that meets the funding criteria will be:
- Māori Freehold Land – land administered under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 (where owned by a trust, entity or group made up of Mana Whenua, Hapū, Whānau)
- General land that ceased to be Māori land under Part 1 of the Māori Affairs Amendment Act 1967, where the land is beneficially owned by the persons, or by the descendants of the persons, who owned the land immediately before the land ceased to be Māori land
- Treaty Settlement Land – general land owned by a Post Settlement Governance Entity or subsidiary entity, including crown land reserved for Māori (right of first refusal) but excluding land returned by the Crown as commercial redress or purchased by the owners, except where the land is:
- Held in a not-for-profit trust or similar mechanism for the benefit of the owners
- Appropriately protected from alienations from the Māori owners and committed for enduring use as papakāinga housing for members of the hapū/iwi and their whanau, for example through the terms of a trust deed
- Applications under these exceptions will need to supply sufficient evidence, such as copies of trust deeds, rules and lease documents, for council to assess eligibility. The determinations as to whether criteria above are met rests solely with council.
Who cannot apply
- Individuals
- Groups with no formal legal structure
- Groups that are primarily for profit or commercial gain
- Institutional marae specifically associated with a local school, polytechnic, university, church, branch of the armed forces, social service provider, or other institution
- Where land in general title (as specified in land ownership section above) where less than three dwellings are able to be provided under the relevant Auckland Unitary Plan zone provisions. Note: There is no minimum requirement for land administered under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.
What we will fund
Funding to support the capacity and capability of iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori organisations for develop planning costs.
Includes, but not limited to:
- governance and asset management planning, and master planning
- concept
- feasibility including cost / benefit analysis
- design
- detailed design
- resource consent application readiness
- associated permits
- building consent application readiness
- resource consent lodgement costs
- building consent lodgement costs
- development contributions on Māori land administered under the te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.
What we will not fund
- Capital works to construct the development.
- Development contributions on land in general title.
Application process
A maximum grant of $170,000 per applicant per year is available.
All applicants must complete an application form.
The Māori Outcomes Steering Committee will review and assess all applications. The committee is a staff investment panel supported by our Māori Housing Unit, and includes representatives of:
The panel will present their recommendations to the Policy and Planning Committee. The committee will decide how to allocate the funds and set any grant conditions.
We may run a second funding round if there are funds left over.
How to apply
Applications are open from 28 November 2025 to 27 February 2026.