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A scheme that helped fund solar panels and other climate-resilient infrastructure for marae will not continue past this year, Budget documents confirm.
The decision not to extend government funding for the Māori Climate Platform has disappointed one of its founders, who says many isolated communities rely on marae during severe weather and other emergencies.
The Ministry for the Environment says work is continuing on existing projects - most of which should be complete by the end of this month - but no decisions have been made on future funding arrangements.
The previous government set aside up to $30 million in the 2022 Budget for ‘Māori Climate Action’, which has gradually been whittled down to $14m since then.
The current government scrapped out-year funding for the initiative in 2024, and clawed back another $5m in last year’s Budget.
Despite that, the first pilot projects from the remaining funding were announced in early 2025, with another round announced this February.
In total, 21 projects have been funded by the platform, with more than 60 marae benefitting from the installation of solar power infrastructure, flood protection works or water infrastructure upgrades.
A ministry announcement of the most recent projects to be funded said they were “aimed at strengthening communities’ ability to withstand and adapt to the effects of climate change”.
“Marae often provide safe gathering spaces and act as hubs for the community during severe weather,” the announcement said.
Iwi and Māori community leaders have consistently raised concerns about the lack of financial support for marae, despite the expectation they would support communities during crises.
Just before this year’s Budget, some were hoping for a funding boost to help them better do that work.
Instead, Budget documents show that the remaining $410,000 of the fund would be used in the coming financial year, bringing the initiative to an end.
Māori climate activist Mike Smith, who previously co-chaired the platform, said the decision not to continue it in some form was not isolated.
“It appears to be part of a broader pattern of rolling back Māori participation in climate policy and climate decision-making, and that sits alongside an even broader raft of policy rollbacks in regard to climate issues,” he said.
“It’s indicative of the government’s lack of commitment to addressing the climate crisis that’s rapidly unfolding before our very eyes.”
Marae did not just provide facilities to Māori, he said.
“Marae increasingly serve as emergency response centres during disasters by providing shelter, food, communications, community support - so building resilience in those communities strengthens resilience for the wider region as well.”
They did so despite often being vulnerable to the effects of climate change themselves, he said.
“Many Māori communities are located in coastal [areas], alongside rivers, flood zones, rural areas, that are particularly vulnerable to flooding, erosion, sea level rise, drought and extreme weather and those types of things that are attributed to climate change.”
A ministry spokesperson confirmed that funding, under the Budget appropriation ‘Supporting Equitable Transitions and Climate Resilience for Māori’, would conclude at the end of June 2027.
“No decisions have been made on any future funding arrangements beyond the current funding period,” the spokesperson said.
“Funding for climate resilience, adaptation, and infrastructure initiatives may also be available through other government programmes, depending on the nature of the project and relevant funding criteria.”
The Budget announced $20m in funding over the next two years for a dedicated Solar on Schools programme.
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