A $10 million Government investment into Te Māori Tū is being positioned as the next chapter of one of Aotearoa’s most significant cultural movements, with plans to take Māori culture, taonga and creative industries further onto the international stage.
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka visited the Te Māori Centre in Lower Hutt on Friday alongside trustees of Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust following the Budget 2026 announcement.
The funding, spread across five years, is one of the few Māori-targeted investments announced in this year’s Budget and comes alongside a $48 million package for Māori broadcasting and te reo Māori content development.
Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust board member Arapata Hakiwai described the funding as the beginning of a new journey for Te Māori.
“Koirā te kōrero nei a te minita, kua puta mai he pūtea hei tīmata i te hīkoi tuarua pea,” he said.
Hakiwai said the kaupapa builds on the legacy of the landmark Te Māori exhibition, curated by the late Ta Hirini Moko Mead which first opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1984 before touring the United States and returning home to Aotearoa as Te Māori: Te Hokinga Mai in 1986.
“He hītori anō, he kaupapa nō Te Māori.”
Referencing the timely words of the late Tā Hirini Moko Mead, Hakiwai said the aspiration was to ensure that legacy continued for future generations.
“Ko te kōrero nei o Tā Hirini Moko Mead, kia mau tonu te wairua o Te Māori. May the spirit of Te Māori prevail, may the spirit of Te Māori live on.”
Hakiwai said the announcement was an opportunity to strengthen relationships with museums and cultural institutions overseas while elevating Māori culture and taonga on the world stage.
“Ko te kōrero a te minita i tēnei rā, kore he timatanga kia hono anō nei ki ō tātou whanaungatanga, ki ngā whare pupuri taonga i rāwāhi, kia kawe ō tātou taonga Māori, ō tātou iwi nei ki ngā wāhi nā runga i te aroha o tātou taonga kia whakarewa ai, kia whakamana ai ō tātou taonga me ō tātou ahurea.”
The funding will support Te Māori Tū, a programme designed to showcase traditional and contemporary Māori arts, culture, business and storytelling internationally.
Speaking at the event, Potaka said the Government’s investment would enable Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust to take the kaupapa overseas and create new opportunities for Māori on the global stage.
“Te kaupapa ko te whakapuare ngā kōrero mō Te Māori Tū me tā te kāwanatanga tautoko i tēnei kaupapa kia tekau miriona tāra mō ngā tau e rima kei te eke mai, kei te tarati, Te Māori Manaaki Taonga.”
He said the trust would lead the programme internationally, including in Europe and the United Kingdom, helping to represent and showcase te ao Māori overseas.
“Hoki te mana whakahaere i tēnei kaupapa kia kawe atu ki Uropi, tae atu ki Ingarangi ki te whakakanohi atu te ao Māori.”
Potaka said one of the key ambitions was to create opportunities for rangatahi Māori to engage with some of the world’s leading museums and cultural institutions.
“Tuatahi kia kotahi hoki te hoe o te waka ki rangatahi nei, rangatū nei te haere ki ngā whare taonga o Uropi, ki te whakapiki i ngā pūkenga me ngā pūmanawa.”
He said the longer-term vision was to see an international exhibition comparable in significance to the original Te Māori exhibition staged within some of the world’s most prestigious museums.
“Kia riro hoki mā te tau e toru, e rima pea ka tū te hui nui pērā ki tō Te Māori tuatahi ki ētahi o ngā whare taonga nui rongonui o te ao pērā i te Louvre, Musée Branly, British Museum.”
Potaka said the ambition was to expose a global audience to the richness of Māori culture.
“Ehara i te whare taonga poka noa iho hanga noa iho, engari kia tae, kia tau atu tēnei kaupapa ki reira e hoa, piriona tangata ka kite hoki i te kaunga me te reka, me te rawe hoki o te ao Māori.”
He said billions of people could experience the richness, beauty and distinctiveness of te ao Māori through future international exhibitions and cultural partnerships.
Potaka said Te Māori Tū builds on the legacy of the historic Te Māori exhibition.
“Te Māori Tū builds on the legacy of the historic Te Māori exhibition by supporting Māori cultural and creative capability internationally.
“It reflects how culture and commerce can work together to distinguish New Zealand on the global stage, creating a unique point of difference that supports economic growth and broader opportunities for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Potaka said the initiative would help create opportunities for Māori artists, creatives, businesses and exporters while strengthening cultural connections internationally.
The announcement comes amid wider scrutiny of Budget 2026, which has been described as one of the tightest Budgets in recent years.
While the Government has promoted the Māori broadcasting package and Te Māori Tū investment as key Māori initiatives, Māori organisations have pointed to ongoing savings and reductions elsewhere across the Māori sector.
The Budget also follows months of concern within Māori broadcasting over expiring time-limited funding and warnings from iwi radio leaders that further reductions could threaten the viability of stations.
The $48 million Māori broadcasting package was ultimately provided to support the long-term sustainability of the sector and help organisations adapt to changing digital audiences.
For Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust, however, Friday’s announcement was firmly focused on the future.
Forty-two years after Te Māori transformed global perceptions of Māori art and identity, trustees say Te Māori Tū offers an opportunity to carry that legacy into a new generation, reconnecting with the world while strengthening Māori cultural confidence at home.
