Ko te whiriwhiri i ngā tūmanako mō te whenua

Aspiring to make money is usually part of wider aspirations, like supporting whānau or developing the whenua. 

There might be aspirations to start a business or improve the current profitability of the whenua. Consider:

• What are the options for making money from the whenua?
• Has a particular industry or type of business been identified as an area of potential?
• Is there capability within whānau to develop this venture?
• What risks could affect the economic potential? What costs are there?
• What would you do with any profits? Would they be reinvested in the whenua, paid out to owners, invested other ways?

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Applying for funding or investment

Developing an Investment Policy Statement

Sustainability and kaitiakitanga are natural motivators for Māori. We always have the long-term wellbeing of whenua and whānau at the centre of our thinking. This includes:

• he wai — our water and waterways
• he whenua — our land, soil or farms
• he hau — our air 
• ngāi tipu — our flora.

Examples of environmental aspirations include:

• getting access to water or irrigation 
• protecting waterways
• managing erosion.

Also consider:

• Are there potential environmental impacts of other work you want to do, like methane emissions or sewage?
• Are there any compliance obligations, like applying for resource consent?

Meeting compliance obligations

Think about what role tikanga plays in your aspirations. We have a responsibility to our culture and our whānau to align anything we do with our values and our integrity. This could include:

• hauora — how could we increase the health and strength of our whānau?
• mātauranga — how do we increase knowledge for our whānau and community?
• whakapapa — how could the whenua reconnect whānau to each other?
• kaitiakitanga — how can our mahi preserve and strengthen the state of the whenua and whānau?

For example, could you:

• put controls around the way the whenua is used, like no tilling, or retiring parts of the whenua for regeneration, or using organic farming methods
• develop a training programme for whānau to help them develop the knowledge to be able to fully manage the whenua
• prioritise restorative work over financial gain.

This is the mahi that empowers and strengthens ties between whānau and our communities.   

Is there potential to:

• regain access to the whenua for whānau, if it is landlocked
• build relationships through working on projects together
• fund social groups, for example a kapa haka group or waka ama team
• provide scholarships or grants to marae or kaumatua
• create jobs and an opportunity to come home
• develop capability for rangatahi or pakeke.