MDF investments strengthen Māori enterprise, build lasting prosperity
More than $3.4 million of Government investment through the Māori Development Fund is helping three Māori enterprises create jobs, grow exports and build lasting prosperity, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says.
The investments reach from green hydrogen at Mōkai and an export apple orchard in Raupunga to premium New Zealand wine being sold across the United States.
“Prosperity does not stop at a business balance sheet. It means whānau in skilled work, local suppliers winning contracts, stronger regions and Māori businesses earning income from around the world,” Mr Potaka says.
At Mōkai, $865,000 is helping Halcyon Power, a joint venture between Tūaropaki Trust and Japan’s Obayashi Corporation, pursue green hydrogen exports using renewable geothermal energy. Halcyon has already completed a successful hydrogen shipment to Fiji and is now working toward the Singapore market.
In Raupunga, $2.1 million is helping Ngāti Pāhauwera transform 30 hectares of whenua into an export apple orchard. More than 23,000 trees have been planted, 19 new employees have joined its horticulture operations and more than $400,000 has been paid to local contractors.
In Marlborough, $100,000 has helped Māori-owned, B Corp-certified wine producer Tiraki strengthen its brand in the United States. Tiraki now exports to more than 30 markets and has expanded from eight US states into 12, securing another container order.
“Our role is to back Māori ambition, not constrain it. Māori are leading these projects, and Government investment is helping them go further and faster.
“These businesses are creating real opportunities for their people and regions while helping New Zealand earn more from the world.
“The package builds on our Government’s wider investment through the Māori Development Fund to back Māori ambition and help good businesses overcome barriers to growth. It is about turning Māori assets and ideas into productive businesses, secure incomes and wealth that can be passed on to future generations.
“When Māori enterprise succeeds, whānau and regions prosper, and New Zealand’s economy becomes stronger. Māori prosperity is New Zealand prosperity.”
Notes to editors:
- The Māori Development Fund is administered by Te Puni Kōkiri and supports the Government’s Going for Growth with Māori | Tōnui Māori economic growth plan.
- The fund primarily provides Government co-investment for projects that improve the productivity and value of iwi and Māori assets, support infrastructure development and increase Māori export revenue.
- Budget 2026 provided $38.21 million annually for the fund from 1 July 2026. Its current priorities are improving the productivity of iwi and Māori assets and increasing Māori export revenue.
