Power Upgrade Helps Drive Development at Te Whaiti

A $110,320 grant is helping unlock the next stage of a major Māori-owned development at Te Whaiti, where plans are taking shape for new homes, food production and employment on the Tawhitiwhiti Block.

The funding, from Trust Horizon, will go to the Whānau Enterprise Development Trust (WEDT) for electrical upgrades serving the 50-hectare development, including a micro-greens processing facility and plant nursery.

For WEDT trustee and manager Tony Goodman, getting the power infrastructure in place is a key step.

“This power supply is critical. We can’t move forward without it,” he said.

The electrical work is part of a wider effort by the Matekuare Whānau Trust, which owns the block, to restore the whenua as a place where whānau can live, work and build sustainable livelihoods.

A papakāinga of about 40 homes is planned, with negotiations now under way for the first four; however, Goodman said housing alone will not be enough to rebuild a community.

“We’ve always said there’s no point plonking homes there – what will the people do?”

That thinking has driven investment in agricultural and employment opportunities alongside the housing plans, including the micro-greens facility and plant nursery.

The trustees have also been developing fencing, water infrastructure, wetlands and other improvements across the property.

Since 2014, WEDT has been working to bring the land back into active whānau-led development and create opportunities for future generations.

The project has received support from organisations including the Ministry for Primary Industries and BayTrust.

Trust Horizon trustee Edwina O’Brien said the electricity upgrade will provide infrastructure needed for the wider development to grow.

“This project is an important step in creating the infrastructure that allows whānau to build sustainable livelihoods, develop their whenua, and create a future for generations to come.”

For Goodman, the latest funding marks significant progress after years of work.

“It’s taken us 10 years to get to this point, and the project is progressing well,” he says.

The long-term goal is to see Tawhitiwhiti once again become a thriving community, with whānau living on their whenua, producing food and creating employment.