Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is putting marae at the centre of her party’s election pitch, arguing Aotearoa needs to stop treating some of its most important community infrastructure as dependent on the priorities of whichever government holds power.
The Greens have unveiled Te Waonui a Tāne: Thriving Marae and Thriving Communities, a policy designed to establish long-term and protected funding for marae, hapū and their surrounding communities.
Davidson says the proposal recognises the role marae already play far beyond cultural and ceremonial life.
Across Aotearoa, marae can become community headquarters during floods, storms, road closures and other emergencies, providing shelter, kai, communication and support when conventional services are under pressure.
The Greens argue that makes marae critical infrastructure deserving of sustained investment rather than having to repeatedly compete for funding.
Te Waonui a Tāne would establish two complementary funding mechanisms.
Te Rākau Whakarauora Restoration Fund would focus on immediate and urgent needs, giving marae access to funding for restoration and resilience work.
Te Tōtara Haemata Intergenerational Fund would take a longer view, establishing an enduring investment fund intended to generate returns for future generations.
Davidson says the objective is to give marae the certainty to plan across generations rather than election cycles.
The proposal also connects marae investment with climate resilience.
Many marae are increasingly exposed to flooding, coastal erosion, severe weather and rising insurance and infrastructure costs, creating difficult questions for whānau about how some ancestral places will be protected.
For the Greens, strengthening marae is therefore being presented not only as a Tiriti commitment but as investment in the resilience of entire communities.
Davidson’s advocacy comes as Te Tiriti and kaupapa Māori remain fiercely contested areas of national politics.
She has been a vocal critic of the coalition Government’s direction on Māori issues and has argued that policies affecting te reo, Te Tiriti and Māori communities represent a wider political shift that needs to be challenged.
That makes Te Waonui a Tāne more than a funding announcement.
It represents a clear political dividing line heading towards the 2026 election over how governments recognise Māori institutions and the role marae should play in the country’s future.
The Greens say stronger marae mean stronger communities, while critics will inevitably question the scale, cost and priorities of any major new government funding commitment.
For voters, the questions will be whether marae should receive permanent protected funding, how that investment should be structured, and whether their role during emergencies means they should be recognised alongside other essential community infrastructure.
For Davidson, the argument starts with something Māori communities have understood for generations.
Marae are not simply buildings.
They are places where whakapapa lives, where communities gather, where whānau seek refuge during emergencies and where decisions made today can shape the lives of mokopuna decades from now.
And as Election 2026 approaches, the future of those marae is now firmly part of the national political conversation.
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