He Rau Aroha

A dedicated Māori granting stream, not a general fund with a Māori tick-box. Around $2 million a year is split between this and general grants.

Closes

No closing dates — talk to the Kaitakawaenga Māori first

Who can apply

Māori-led groups doing work that advances Māori aspirations, serving mana whenua, taura here and other Māori communities in the Wellington region. You must be serving or be led by a priority population to be eligible, and Māori are one.

Amount

Decided case by case. Grants up to $20,000 are approved every few weeks; larger ones go to the Board, meeting every 6 to 8 weeks

Funding route

Grant

Applicants

Marae & hapū, Iwi & Māori organisations, Community groups, Organisations & providers

Before you apply

This is a strategic stream rather than a contestable round, and the way in is a conversation rather than a form. Email the Kaitakawaenga Māori at diane@wellingtoncommunityfund.org.nz and talk about your mahi before writing anything.

Taura here are explicitly named alongside mana whenua, so a rōpū of Māori living away from their own rohe is squarely in scope rather than a stretch.

The Fund holds around $2 million a year across He Rau Aroha and General Grants, and a board committee, Te Ohu Manaaki, made up of trustees who whakapapa Māori oversees this stream. You do not have to be based in their priority locations of Lower Hutt, Ōtaki or Porirua to apply. Bicultural organisations and kaupapa supporting Māori communities that are not Māori-led are welcomed under the general stream instead.

Official source →

Checked 16 September 2026

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Details change without notice. Check the funder's own page before you apply. Tōku Waka does not administer, assess or award this funding.