Kua tuwhera ngā pukatono mō tēnei mea the Ngā Whenua Rāhui Fund – applications have opened for the Whenua Rāhui Fund. If you are unfamiliar with Nga Whenua Rāhui, please see a brief description below, along with the necessary links to where you can find more information about it and make an application.

The Ngā Whenua Rāhui Fund:

The Ngā Whenua Rāhui Fund supports the protection of indigenous biodiversity on Māori-owned land while honouring the rights guaranteed to landowners under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The principles of the fund are geared towards the owners retaining rangatiratanga (ownership and control) of their land. In its kaupapa and role, Ngā Whenua Rāhui is reaffirming the bond between tangata whenua and the land.

The fund’s kaupapa is to protect remaining indigenous biodiversity on privately owned Māori land that represents the full range of indigenous biodiversity originally present in the landscape. Established in 1991, the fund enables and supports activities to protect indigenous biodiversity on Māori land, by:

1. Placing formal protection (kawenata agreement) over the whenua whilst allowing landowners to maintain their tikanga and tino rangatiratanga.
2. Developing and implementing a plan to address introduced pest plant and animal species.
3. Building landowner capability to manage activities on their land.
4. Developing partnerships with external agencies and working in collaboration to achieve outcomes for landowners.
5. Leaving the land in Māori ownership and control.

This applies to indigenous remnant forests, waterways and riparian margins, wetlands, tussock lands, coastal dunes and saltmarsh ecosystems on Māori freehold, customary land, Māori reservation or General land owned by Māori.

To find out more about this fund, click this link and it will lead you to more information on protection methods, rating of Māori land and more. – https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/funding/nga-whenua-rahui/nga-whenua-rahui-fund/about-the-fund/

If you wish to apply for this Fund, click this link and it will direct you straight to the application. – https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/93ab5b7b15bb4e9d9bfccac7d9cba4d4