Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Ka whakamana a Foundation North i ona takohanga ki te tiriti o Waitangi hei kaitiaki pūtea mo Te Tai Tokerau mo Tāmaki Makaurau.

Foundation North will have regard to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in performing our obligations as the community trust for Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau.

Te Koronga 

Ko te ara e whaia nei e Foundation North hei kōkiri i te nohonga pūmau o te tiriti o Waitangi ki roto i ngā mahi whānui, kihai kei te tuku pūtea noiho, kei tua te whakaaronui.

Ko ngā mahi ki a tutuki he taonga whakanui, he wero whakamataara ki tena, ki tena. Ko te tūmanako ka tupu, ka ora, ka tau mai te maramatanga hei oranga mo te katoa.

Hei whakamana i o matou ūara me te whakaaronui ki tenei mea angitu ka:

• whaiaro whakaaro ki te tiriti o Waitangi, a taki tahi, a taki tini mo ngā whāinga o Aotearoa whānui

• ū ki te kaupapa ki a kitea, ki a rongona ia ra ahakoa ki hea, ahakoa ko wai

• whakawhanaunga atu ki te mana whenua o i a rohe, mā te manaaki e ārahi, e tohu i ngā akoranga tuku iho

• tautoko, awhi hoki i ngā tini hāpori, ki te whanake i a ratou me o ratou whāinga, roopu whakahaere anohoki.

Our Intent

Foundation North recognises that, in taking our early steps on the journey to working in a Te Tiriti based manner, there is work for our organisation that goes beyond our approach to granting. This mahi is both a taonga and a wero – something to treasure and respect, wrapped in challenges and opportunities for growth and learning.

In accordance with our values, and in accepting this responsibility and opportunity, we will:

• reflect, as a whole organisation, on the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and on how this applies to the needs of Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse society
• work actively to ensure that our commitment is matched in competent practice, through our everyday mahi and at each interaction with us, now and going forward
• proactively develop our meaningful engagement with the Mana Whenua of our rohe; listening to deepen understanding and learning to inform our actions and behaviours
• be responsive to and support communities to increase their readiness and capacity to engage, to strengthen their practices and develop their organisations.

Foundation North’s Gulf Innovation Fund Together (G.I.F.T) initiative ran from August 2016 to March 2022. Insights and learnings from our experience of this initiative represent important steps in our journey with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

G.I.F.T was distinct from any other funding pathway available in Aotearoa at the time in that, through research and kōrero with Iwi/Māori and other stakeholders, the Māori concept of mauri was placed at the centre. This challenged the Foundation and many of the applicants, drawn to the fund's fluid and collaborative approach, to extend their understanding of Te Ao Māori.

Over the lifetime of the fund, the Foundation's small team working on G.I.F.T adapted its ways of working to be more culturally responsive, and initiatives led by Tangata Whenua became a priority. Mātauranga Māori practices and approaches were recognised, valued and implemented, and the G.I.F.T network’s understanding of mauri was deepened through wānanga with Maurea, a Māori culture training provider.

We are pleased to share the story of G.I.F.T, and the many learnings it brought us.

Learning and insights from our G.I.F.T initiative (2016-2022)