Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Māori businesses in the regions are being bolstered with an almost $20 million injection from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said the money would go to projects that support iwi and hapū businesses.
A total of $3.7m has been reprioritised from the PGF for the Regional Development portfolio to support Māori development, tourism and agribusiness.
Another $3.1m would go to the Tapuae Roa Taranaki Crossing project, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said.
Through Te Haumanu o Te Kapua project, Nga Hua o Ngāti Pukenga in Bay of Plenty will get an additional $600,000 which will enable them to turn underutilised whenua Māori into a gold kiwifruit orchard, as well as restore wetlands and protecting a pā site.
Another $16.1m has been approved through the North Island Weather Event Primary Producer Scheme for three whānau businesses.
A breakdown of the $16.1m looks like - $3.5m to Miro Meihana Koata in Bay of Plenty, $12m to Ngāi Tukairangi in Hawke's Bay, and $0.6m to Torere Macadamias in Bay of Plenty to restore its horticultural assets after the cyclones in 2023.
These are crucial regional horticulture businesses that employ and support many local Māori, Jones said.
"The Regional Infrastructure Fund, announced in Budget 2024, has the potential to create a funding source for regional infrastructure projects led by Māori businesses and landowners that otherwise would not proceed," Jones said.
"Given the barriers to investment faced by Māori entities, whenua Māori, iwi and Māori business, Minister Potaka and I have worked with Cabinet to agree that Māori development will be one of the initial focuses of the fund."
A total $4.8 billion of support has gone into regional projects since 2017, with more than $800m invested in Māori development projects, Jones said.