What can the funding be used for?
The Cultural Initiatives Fund – Marae (CIF-Marae) is available to support Marae Ora, one of seven wellbeing outcomes in Tāmaki Ora – Council’s Māori Outcomes Strategy 2025–2027:
“Marae are vibrant, resilient centres of Māori life – anchoring whānau, hapū, and iwi, enabling papakāinga, and supporting wider community connection, care, and resilience.”
Five options are for up to $50k per annum each, and the remaining two are case-by-case.
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Governance and Management Support
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Marae Activations
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Non-Fixed Assets
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Digital Infrastructure & Digital Innovation
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Energy Efficiency
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Development Support for New Marae – conditions apply
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Other Expression of Interest Priorities – case-by-case
Refer to the CIF guidance for further detail [link here].
Who can apply?
The fund is available to 41 marae that Council works with, including 8 new marae.
Applicants must also:
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Be a trust, authority or other formally recognised body, or be a Māori Reservation.
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Have appropriate governance and management structures, policies and processes in place.
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Be a not-for-profit entity.
Projects must be achievable by 30 June 2027.
⚠️ Note: This fund is not available to marae specifically associated with a school, tertiary institution, church, armed forces, social service provider, commercial provider, or other institution.
Refer to the list of currently supported marae here.
What happens next?
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Expression of Interest (EOI) is treated as an initial application – no documentation required at this stage.
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EOIs will be assessed within 10 working days.
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Projects that meet criteria will be invited to submit a full application.
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Submitting a full application does not guarantee funding.
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Final decisions are made by a council committee.
Timeframes
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EOI opens: 28 October 2025
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Summer round (full applications): Closes 27 February 2026 → Awards in March
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Potential second round (if funds are still available): Closes 30 July 2026 → Awards in September
All applicants will be notified within five working days of the decision on their full application.