Apply now for the Tiaki Wai fund

Each year, Te Wai Māori Trust provides the Tiaki Wai fund to support iwi, hapū, and whānau to fulfil aspirations for freshwater fisheries in their rohe.

Established in 2019, Tiaki Wai aims to promote and advance Māori interests in freshwater fisheries. This includes promoting and sharing indigenous fisheries’ expertise, knowledge and understanding, increasing the quality and range of information to iwi and hapū on freshwater fisheries, and enhancing the health and wellbeing of the indigenous fisheries and their environment.

Projects can be awarded up to $5,000 with applications open all year until the fund is fully allocated. To view some of the previous projects made possible through the Tiaki Wai Fund click here.

To download the guidelines and application form for the Tiaki Wai fund please use the button below.

Ready to apply?

Once you have downloaded and read through the guidelines, please complete all sections the application form and upload your completed form to our funding portal using the button below.

Purpose of the fund

Through the Tiaki Wai Fund, Te Wai Māori seeks to enable Māori to develop expertise to promote and advance Māori interests in freshwater fisheries through development, research and education. The purpose of the fund is to:

Increase iwi and hapū capacity and capability in freshwater fisheries and their ability to exercise rangatiratanga over their freshwater fisheries

Promote and share indigenous fisheries expertise, knowledge and understanding

Increase the quality and range of information to iwi and hapū on freshwater fisheries and their interests

Enhance the health and wellbeing of the indigenous fisheries and their environment.

Funded Project

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō | Tuna monitoring

In 2021, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō received #TiakiWai funding from Te Wai Māori for a pilot study to investigate the sustainability of cultural harvesting by combining tikanga Māori and scientific methods.

At the heart of this mahi was the sharing of mātauranga Māori and facilitating the intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge. Population counts, length-weight measurements, and aging of the tuna using the otoliths extracted from harvested individuals provided further insight into the structure of the population. Speaking at the Māori Freshwater Fisheries Conference, Dr Jen Skilton (Te Ātiawa) shares some of this mahi and the hapu’s efforts to monitor tuna in their roto.