Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust (TW) is a collective of more than 70 Māori Trusts, incorporations, and iwi/post-settlement governance entities (PSGEs) working together across Te Tairāwhiti. As the largest network of Māori landowners in Aotearoa, TW exists to amplify the collective voice of the whenua and its people, ensuring Māori landholders are active in shaping decisions that affect the region’s future.

Our members manage over 197,000 hectares of Māori land, ranging from 5 hectares to 46,000 hectares. Together, they carry the responsibility for more than 143,000 Māori landowners, employ more than 400 kaimahi, steward at least $738 million in assets, and generate over $51 million annually for the Tairāwhiti economy.

A Collective with Deep Roots

TW was established to bring Māori landowners together at a time when major regulatory shifts were reshaping land governance and environmental responsibilities. Instead of being passive recipients of change, Tairāwhiti Māori landowners came together to lead from the front, ensuring that solutions reflect tikanga, whānau aspirations, and intergenerational stewardship. Our members span agriculture, horticulture, forestry, biodiversity, and emerging land-use innovations, all grounded in the shared kaupapa of looking after the whenua and our people.

While TW’s current 74 members represent a portion of the 1,596 Māori land blocks in the rohe, the network is growing, built on relationships of trust, collaboration, and shared outcomes. The journey so far has been about more than governance: it has been about re-connecting whānau to whenua, building collective capability, and elevating Māori perspectives in regional and national conversations.

Sharing Our Stories

For TW, it’s important that the stories of our whenua and our people are shared widely and openly. We do this so that our whānau, wherever they are, can stay connected, celebrate successes, and see themselves in the future of Tairāwhiti.

You’ll find our kōrero through:

• Upcoming podcasts – conversations with our landowners, leaders, and partners that bring issues and opportunities to life.

• Monthly pānui and storytelling – keeping owners informed about milestones, developments, and regional priorities.

• Social media and digital platforms – ensuring that stories travel beyond meeting rooms, reaching whānau here at home and around the world.

Through these platforms, TW shares not just numbers and facts, but the people, histories, and aspirations behind the whenua.