It is widely acknowledged that the development of the Māori economy is fundamental to achieving region-wide growth in the Bay of Plenty region which is due to the large (up to 1/3rd) proportion of the Māori asset base (mostly underutilised land) in the region and the significant participation of Māori in key land based industries such as forestry, dairy, sheep and cattle farming, horticulture and aquaculture.

There are several operators and supporters in the Whenua Māori development arena, Toi Kai Rawa sees a rising interest by Māori Land owners to build and activate their collective potential.

Toi Kai Rawa Trust’s strategic imperative is to

• Ignite opportunities for Whenua Māori collectives in the wider BOP with a focus on innovation

Our focus:

• Foster collaboration and opportunities with Whenua Māori collectives in the wider Bay of Plenty to drive towards a low carbon future.
• Build the pool of whenua Māori collectives and support using a kaupapa Māori approach with their innovation and succession plans.
• Build a coordinated approach to Whenua Māori development exemplars to help unlock whenua aspirations.
• Identify the gaps, co-design and deploy prototypes that are scalable across the wider Bay of Plenty region.