Tukuoha funding rounds are now open!

We are excited to announce that the Tukuoha funding rounds for 2025 are now open!

Do you have an innovative kaupapa that advances tikanga Māori, mātauranga tuku iho or Te Ao Māori within the oceans sector? Or are you a rangatahi who is an active leader in your community? Apply today for our Tukuoha funding round – a dedicated philanthropic puna to support Māori leadership and excellence across Aotearoa. 

Last year alone, we awarded $80,000 to 12 deserving kaupapa across the rohe. This year, there are two funds open for applications:  https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/

Acknowledging our whakapapa connection to Tangaroa and Hinemoana, the Tonganui Scholarship offers three $10,000 grants to accelerate Māori professionals advancing tikanga Māori, mātauranga tuku iho and Te Ao Māori within the oceans sector. 

Named in honour of the late Matua Norm Dewes, the Pou Herenga Tangata Award provides five $5,000 awards to support rangatahi Māori (aged 16-24) to grow as our next generation of leaders. Awarded to either an individual recipient or organisation, this fund supports our rangatahi who are actively leading or looking to establish kaupapa in their community. 

With support from the Tonganui Scholarship, Tasman assisted Ngāti Wheke to advance their kelp restoration kaupapa in Whakaraupō. Juvenile rimurimu (giant kelp) was successfully propagated at Portobello Marine Lab and deployed across four sites within the mātaitai. Although high temperatures and late-season planting affected kelp establishment, the project gathered valuable environmental data and insights for future restoration. Tasman now plans to refine reseeding techniques, expand to new rohe, and continue building a robust, intergenerational model of moana restoration grounded in both mātauranga and marine ecology. 

Read more about Tasman’s kaupapa here: https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/nga-auahituroa/tasman-gillies/

With support from the Pou Herenga Tangata Award, Waenga—an original theatre production by Hariata’s production company, Hurō Productions, was developed and premiered as part of Kia Mau Festival, with additional performances for secondary schools. Rooted in research with rangatahi Māori, the production centred their stories, language, and identity through theatre and waiata. The funding allowed for a tikanga-based rehearsal process, professional development for Māori creatives, and free access for schools. Future plans include a national kura tour with Taki Rua and a rangatahi-led adaptation in Porirua. 

Read more about Hariata’s kaupapa here: https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/nga-auahituroa/hariata-moriarty/

Applications for this year’s funding close 11:55 pm, 28 August 2025. For more information, or to apply, click the link below:

https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/