Te Kawe Oraka funding opportunity
Te Tauraki is calling for applications for Te Kawe Oraka, a funding initiative supporting transformational projects that strengthen whānau wellbeing across Te Waipounamu and Wharekauri/Rēkohu.
We invite you to share this funding opportunity with your network.
With investment starting from $100,000 and upwards, Te Kawe Oraka aims to fund high impact initiatives that create meaningful outcomes for whānau Māori.
Bold initiatives wanted
Te Tauraki is looking for bold initiatives that make a real difference. The funding supports time-limited initiatives of up to 14 months, with contracts starting from 1 May 2026 and delivery through to 30 June 2027 or earlier.
We are particularly interested in larger-scale proposals that demonstrate the capability to deliver transformational outcomes.
Applications are open now through a two-stage process, with Stage 1 applications closing at 5pm on 13 February 2026.
This funding supports community-led initiatives that strengthen whānau wellbeing and create meaningful, lasting change. It focuses on three priority areas:
- Maternal care, including pre-natal and peri-natal support
- Mental wellbeing support for rangatahi Māori
- Initiatives that remove barriers for whānau to access hauora and wellbeing services, including innovative preventative services
The approach
Te Kawe Oraka represents the tools, resources, and provisions carried to enhance whānau hauora.
The name, Te Kawe Oraka, draws on kawe – the act and means of carrying what is needed for a journey.
Kawe refers to the woven straps and handles used to carry essential resources. In this kaupapa, the straps and handles are used symbolically to represent the interwoven responsibilities of whānau, community, and those who support them, allowing the load to be carried together.
Te Kawe Oraka is grounded in Whiria te Tuamaka, our Whānau Ora commissioning approach.
Whiria te Tuamaka draws on a metaphor of collective effort, where people support one another to move through challenging conditions and difficult crossings.
Where Whiria te Tuamaka speaks to collective crossing, Whiria te Kawe speaks to the weaving of the straps and handles, binding responsibility and contribution so the load can be shared. No single strand is expected to carry the weight alone.
Te Kawe Oraka recognises that whānau hold their own strengths and solutions. Through this funding opportunity, investment is directed toward the tools and resources that enable whānau and communities to carry what is needed, as journeys and challenges change.
