He Whakamōhiotanga Kōrero Q4

He Whakamōhiotanga Kōrero are our quarterly reports to iwi, measuring our progress against our key priorities and key performance indicators as identified in our annual plan, which contribute towards achieving our five-year strategy. The aim of these reports is to provide iwi with more regular insight into the strategic and operational activities and performance of Te Ohu Kaimoana and Takutai Trust.

He Whakamōhiotanga Kōrero Q4 covers the period of 1 July - 30 September 2025.

Update on Māori Fisheries Amendment Act 2024 (MFAA) work programme

We are now less than 10 months out until the changes introduced by the MFAA take effect. Our legal team has been busy assisting iwi with enquiries regarding their constitutional updates and assisting our Programme Director in a raft of activities, such as drafting amendments to the constitutions of Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Limited and Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, drafting supporting policies and procedures, as well as drafting appointment process models for both entities based upon the feedback of iwi and Representative Māori Organisations.

We have recently committed to making $10,000 contribution payments to each Mandated Iwi Organisation to assist with the effort and costs each iwi are required to make to update their constitutions to be compliant with the MFAA. These payments will be made Friday 7 November.

Mana Moana Mana Tangata

During July ‘Mana Moana Mana Tangata’ premiered at the Oscar qualifying Doc Edge Festival to audiences in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Each viewing was well attended with a sellout viewing at the Roxy Cinema in Wellington, with engaging Q&A sessions facilitated at each location. The documentary then premiered on Whakaata Māori on 18 August, to good reviews, where it remains available on-demand through Māori+.

It has also appeared at film festivals in Taranaki and Waiheke Island, along with a number of private screenings held by rūnanga. We are currently working with the filmmakers to pursue entry into a number of national and international film festivals such as the Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival in Washington DC and the International Ocean Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti so we can ensure this important story is told in front of as many domestic and international audiences as possible.

Iwi engagement survey

Our annual iwi engagement survey was carried out over the course of July and August. This is a really important time of year for us where we get to hear anonymously and directly, the thoughts of our stakeholders on our performance and direction.

It’s a pivotal exercise that keeps us accountable and on track, helping to ensure that we are delivering the best return on your investment in us as an organisation. We would like to thank those that had the time to complete our survey and look forward to sharing the results with you when they are published in our annual report, and presented at next year’s AGM.

Best Awards

Late last year we unveiled our refreshed branding. This was part of a broader project where we also worked to redefine our identity and narrative as an organisation, producing our first ever brand strategy.

The refresh leaned heavily on our whakapapa as an organisation, ensuring we were honouring our past – but equally spoke to the representation of our iwi organisations and the collective influence and difference we can make when we all work together in unison. The refresh was recently awarded Bronze at the Design Institute of New Zealand’s Best Awards in Tāmaki-Makaurau.

To find out more about what our team has been up to this quarter, you can read the full report here.