The Māori Language Commission Te Taura Whiri is fighting to protect its reserves from a raid to fund the Government’s tax cuts.
Chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr says he was surprised to be told the commission was to have its funding cut based on the reserves it has built up over the past decade.
He says Te Taura Whiri is not a department but a crown entity, so shouldn’t be caught up in the cuts to departmental expenses.
Its annual reports show it has it has over-spent its budget in recent years, which is has been able to do because of prudent investments by its chief financial officer.
“We’ve been pretty practical. We don’t get a lot of money. We get around $11 million a year to do what we have to do and we spend every cent of that money very, very carefully,” Mr Apanui says.
With government agencies being told they can’t apply for cost pressure bids for the next few budget cycles, Te Taura Whiri is looking for partnerships with private sector companies so it can fulfil its mission of increasing acceptance of te reo Maori.
