The Government has almost doubled funding for a long-standing physical activity programme that focuses on outcomes for Māori.
He Oranga Poutama is managed by a combination of hapū, iwi, hauora and regional providers.
An increase in funding from $1.8 million to $3.4 million will go to the nine current providers, along with investment into two new regional providers:
· Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou working with Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti;
and a consortium of Te Rūnanganui o Te Ātiawa ki te Ūpoko o te Ika, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira and Nuku Ora covering the Wellington region.
The programme will also be rolled out to the South Island through Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu and extended to the Urewera and Tauranga through existing provider Mātaatua Sports Trust.
Minister Grant Robertson says the extra investment forms part of a $7 million Kaupapa Māori Response Plan focused on providing more culturally distinctive pathways to enable Māori to succeed in sport and recreation.
He says the programme supports initiatives that have a focus on increasing participation and leadership as Māori in sport and traditional physical recreation at the community level.
Other key initiatives in the plan include a new relationship with a Māori National Sporting Organisation Collective, new culturally distinctive partner investments through the Te Ihi Fund and the national roll out of MaraeFit Aotearoa – a marae-centric digital physical activity tool – later this year.
