Covid-19 assistance for iwi
E te iwi Māori, anei ngā whakamārama mō te kaupapa āwhina a Te Arawhiti
Te Arawhiti assists iwi with their Covid-19 responses by:
- distributing funds
- providing tools and resources
- connecting iwi with other agencies to help with issues on the ground
Covid-19 iwi response plans
Iwi can use our Covid-19 iwi response plan template to help plan their response. The Māori health directorate of the Ministry of Health supports the use of this template.
Te Arawhiti thanks iwi for agreeing to make their plans public as examples to assist others plan their Covid-19 response.
- Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi pandemic and infectious disease outbreak plan
- Te Roopū Huihuinga Hauora Trust Hauora Māori pandemic plan
- Waikato Tainui iwi response plan
- Hamilton emergency kai ecosystem [Waikato Tainui]
- Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Manawa Covid-19 iwi support plan
Temporary law changes for post settlement governance entities
Post settlement governance entities and other iwi entities can work safely and effectively in the traffic light system because of temporary legislation.
The Covid-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Act 2021 brings back temporary relief measures from last year’s Covid-19 Response (Requirements For Entities—Modifications and Exemptions) Act 2020. The key part of the Act for entities is Schedule 4, Part 2.
Entities can:
- carry out certain functions and tasks electronically – including holding meetings, signing instruments, and voting on certain matters – even if their constitutions or rules do not provide for it
- modify certain requirements or provisions in their constitution or rules – for example, to defer reporting, or waive members’ fees
This temporary legislation came into effect on 3 November 2021 and ends on 30 April 2022, unless it is extended.
Covid-19 iwi response funding
Te Arawhiti has distributed money set aside by the government to assist iwi plan their Covid-19 responses.
The Minister for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti announced on 1 September a $1 million fund to assist iwi:
- plan their Covid-19 responses
- encourage whānau to use vaccination services
- do communications and outreach work
Applications for this funding closed on 3 October, after all the fund had been applied for. Most applications were for between $10,000 and $30,000.
This funding assisted 72 iwi groups across Aotearoa.
Te Arawhiti and other agencies continue to assist iwi, Māori, and communities through Covid-19. Groups whose work increases vaccination rates and builds resilient communities can get funding through Te Arawhiti from the Māori communities Covid-19 fund