A delegation of Māori leaders visiting Israel under the banner of business and innovation faces public criticism over its timing and purpose, while questions remain about how the trip was organised and the full extent of its funding.
The visit comes as New Zealand criticises the Israeli Government’s actions in the occupied West Bank but stops short of joining international moves to ban imports from Israeli settlements.
Northland Regional Council chair Pita Tipene is among those who have visited Israel in recent days. The trip is taking place against the backdrop of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, escalating Israeli settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank.
In September 2025, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has rejected that finding.
Former delegate says Israeli ministry funded the visit
Te Ao Māori News understands prospective delegation members were told the visit would focus on “business and innovation”.
Riki Manarangi, who travelled to Israel as part of a Māori delegation in November 2025, said he heard “through the grapevine” that another delegation was planned for 2026 and volunteered to recommend potential participants.
“I wasn’t formally approached or asked to organise anything,” he said.
“I reached out to a few people I thought would be a good fit and asked if they’d be keen to be considered. Some went, and some declined.”
Manarangi said he approached several people he believed would suit the delegation’s business and innovation focus but was not responsible for deciding who would participate.
He said Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised and funded the visit.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs over there are the ones who organise and fund it,” he said. “They cover basics … transport, accommodation, and kai.”
Asked who helped coordinate the current visit, Manarangi described Yifat Goddard as “like the programme lead” and said she was unpaid.
Goddard, an Israeli-New Zealander, also proposed the November 2025 Māori delegation that Manarangi joined, according to an account published by the Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem. Te Ao Māori News has reached out to Goddard for comment and has not yet received a response.
The Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem said it had no involvement in the current delegation and had not been approached to help organise, recruit for, fund or facilitate it. It said it learned of the visit second-hand and through social media.
MFAT notified after delegation was underway
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had no involvement in the visit.
“The Israeli Government advised MFAT it was hosting the group once the visit was underway,” a spokesperson said.
MFAT did not say which arm of the Israeli Government contacted it, what “hosting” involved or whether it was given information about the delegation’s funding.
Te Ao Māori News has requested further information under the Official Information Act, including correspondence about the visit and details of when and how MFAT was notified.
The Israeli Embassy’s initial response did not confirm who initiated or funded the delegation, what costs the Israeli Government covered or how participants were selected.
It also did not identify which Israeli Government officials or organisations the group was meeting or say whether the itinerary included engagement with Palestinians or Palestinian organisations.
Instead, the Embassy said it was pleased delegates had been able to visit Israel and “see the country for themselves, rather than relying solely on the picture presented through the media”.
It said delegations travelled throughout Israel, met Jewish, Arab, Druze and Bedouin Israelis, and were free to hear a range of views.
“Israel is a democratic country. Visitors are free to ask the questions they wish, to say whatever they want, and to make up their own minds,” it said.
Te Ao Māori News has since asked the Embassy to confirm Manarangi’s account, including Goddard’s role, whether international flights were covered and which Israeli Government body administered the funding. It has not yet responded to that follow-up.
The New Zealand Israel Innovation Hub declined to confirm whether it was involved in the current visit.
It described the delegation as a “tremendous success”, saying that the assessment was based on social media posts and second-hand feedback. The Hub said the visit had inspired plans for three Māori Innovation and Technology Delegations in 2027.
The first would focus on Northland Māori communities and educational outcomes. The Hub also invited a representative from Whakaata Māori to consider joining one of its future delegations.
Pita Tipene says he will respond after returning to Aotearoa
Tipene declined an interview while overseas, saying he had received requests from several media organisations.
“I’ve responded by saying that I’ll speak my truth when I set foot home,” he told Te Ao Māori News.
Tipene has, however, responded publicly to criticism of his presence in Israel.
“It’s horrible and gut-wrenching, and it must stop!” he wrote.
“I am not pro-Israel - I am pro-peace and humanity, as the killing and destruction is happening across national boundaries here in Gaza and in other nations.
“I’m not here to judge, but I’m not immune to the gravity of what’s happening here either.”
Northland Regional Council said it had no involvement in the visit.
Chief executive Jonathan Gibbard said Tipene was travelling in a personal, non-council capacity and the council had not funded, organised or endorsed the trip.
Gibbard said the travel was not related to council business.
Other current delegates approached by Te Ao Māori News have not responded to requests for comment.
An invitation some Māori leaders declined
Some invited Māori leaders declined to participate. Te Ao Māori News understands concerns were raised during planning about the trip’s funding, its political context and whether delegates would have opportunities to hear directly from Palestinian communities.
Manarangi said prospective delegates who raised concerns were offered meetings with representatives of Israel’s foreign ministry and encouraged to participate. He said nobody was excluded because of concerns about Israel or Palestine, and those who did not travel had chosen to withdraw.
“There are plenty of people over there who are openly critical of the Israeli Government, no different to here in Aotearoa; that’s just what living in a democracy looks like,” Manarangi said.
Te Ao Māori News continues to seek responses from others involved in facilitating the visit.
New Zealand condemns settlement expansion but does not join import-ban push
Questions about the delegation come as the United Kingdom, France and Canada move to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The three countries were among 12 that issued a joint statement warning that unprecedented settlement expansion and settler violence were rapidly undermining the possibility of a Palestinian state.
Israel responded with retaliatory measures against the UK, including ordering the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which serves Palestinians.
New Zealand did not sign the statement and said it was not in a position to introduce an import ban before the election.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters issued a standalone statement on Wednesday saying New Zealand was “deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in the West Bank”.
“There has been a marked escalation in Israel’s actions, jeopardising the prospect of a durable peace,” Peters said.
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a violation of international law. Expanding settlements undermines prospects for a two-state solution to the longstanding conflict.”
“New Zealand strongly opposes actions that advance annexation or threaten the forcible displacement of Palestinians,” he said.
“Such measures are incompatible with international law and risk perpetuating the cycle of violence and insecurity.”
A spokesperson for Peters said New Zealand had not traditionally used trade measures to address foreign-policy issues. Introducing an import ban would require a full policy process that could not be completed before the election.
New Zealand had previously imposed travel bans on 38 people over extremist settlement activity, including two Israeli ministers, with the latest three bans announced in June.
New Zealand had earlier joined an international statement specifically opposing the Israeli Government’s E1 settlement plan, warning it would divide the West Bank and further undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.
Israel faces international legal scrutiny over Gaza conduct
Israel’s conduct in Gaza is also under scrutiny before two international courts.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defence minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC found reasonable grounds to believe they bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
The warrants are not findings of guilt, and neither man has been tried or convicted by the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies the allegations against Netanyahu and Gallant.
Separately, South Africa’s genocide case against Israel remains before the International Court of Justice. The court has not issued a final judgment determining whether Israel committed genocide.
The full funding arrangements, selection process and itinerary for the current delegation remain unconfirmed. It is also unclear how the proposed 2027 delegations would be funded, structured or opened to participants.
