Te Tohu Waka Hourua The Buddle Findlay Award for Excellence in Māori-Council Partnerships recognises programmes and projects that build meaningful partnerships with Māori.
The top entries demonstrate strong, authentic partnerships between councils and Māori, embedding tikanga, te ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles into how they work. The most successful projects were able to move beyond consultation to long-term, reciprocal relationships that deliver shared outcomes for communities.
A record 12 entries have been received this year, reflecting the strength and diversity of partnerships across the sector.
For many entries, the starting point has been an honest assessment of where organisations needed to do better for their communities.
Taituarā Chief Advisor Raymond Horan says, “It takes guts to admit where what’s not gone well and hard mahi to put it right. These entries show us what can be done when local government works to grow real partnerships with Māori.”
A number of projects focus on embedding partnership approaches across entire organisations. Auckland Council’s Tāmaki Ora strategy integrates Māori outcomes into planning systems, while Far North District Council’s Te Pae o Uta framework builds cultural capability and responsiveness across council operations.
Frameworks and tools are also helping councils strengthen decision-making. Te Kaunihera o Te Tairāwhiti – Gisborne District Council’s Te Tiriti Compass and Te Matapihi embed Treaty principles into governance processes, while Waikato District Council’s Toitū Marae initiative creates consistent, culturally grounded engagement with marae, hapū and iwi.
Partnerships are delivering tangible outcomes on the ground. In Hawke’s Bay, Hastings District Council’s recovery work following Cyclone Gabrielle highlights the role of mana whenua in shaping infrastructure responses, while in Northland, a hapū-led approach to marine protection is already improving biodiversity outcomes.
Other entries reflect the importance of protecting culturally significant places and strengthening shared stewardship. South Wairarapa District Council’s work at Mātakitaki-a-Kupe responds directly to hapū concerns, while Hurunui District Council’s partnership with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura continues to grow through a range of shared initiatives.
Together, the entries highlight a positive shift, from one-off engagement to ongoing, relationship-based approaches that are being embedded across council activity.
The 2026 entries are:
- Tāmaki Ora – Embedding Māori Outcomes through Partnership Systems – Auckland Council
- Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Reserve Board – Auckland Council
- Te Pae O Uta – Far North District Council
- Cementing Effective Partnerships – Hastings District Council
- Te Aroha o te Hauangiangi – Hurunui District Council
- Restoring the mauri of marine protected areas: A Taitokerau partnership – Northland Regional Council
- Website co-design – Otago Regional Council
- Te ara haerenga o ngā iwi o te Tai Whakarunga Taranaki – South Taranaki District Council
- Manaaki o Matakitaki-a-Kupe – South Wairarapa District Council
- Navigating Together Te Tiriti Compass & Te Matapihi – Te Kaunihera o Te Tairāwhiti – Gisborne District Council
- Tomokia tōku whare – A te ao Māori partnership approach to resource consenting – Gisborne District Council
- Toitū Marae – Waikato District Council
Members’ Choice Award
Taituarā members have the opportunity to recognise the initiatives making the biggest impact through the Members’ Choice Award. The with the top-voted projects progressing to a final round of voting across all categories.
View the entries for the Te Tohu Waka Hourua The Buddle Findlay Award for Excellence in Māori-Council Partnerships. Voting for this category is open from 20 – 24 April.
Winners of the LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards® will be announced at the Awards Dinner on 18 June in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Tickets are available to purchase now.
