MDF investments strengthen Māori enterprise, build lasting prosperity

More than $3.4 million of Government investment through the Māori Development Fund is helping three Māori enterprises create jobs, grow exports and build lasting prosperity, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. The investments reach from green hydrogen at Mōkai and an export apple orchard in Raupunga to premium New Zealand wine being sold across the United States. “Prosperity does not stop at a business balance sheet. It means whānau in skilled work, local suppliers winning contracts, stronger regions and Māori businesses earning income from around the world,” Mr Potaka says. At Mōkai, $865,000 is helping Halcyon Power, a joint venture between Tūaropaki Trust and Japan’s Obayashi Corporation, pursue green hydrogen exports using renewable geothermal energy. Halcyon has already completed a successful hydrogen shipment to Fiji and is now working toward the Singapore market. In Raupunga, $2.1 million is helping Ngāti Pāhauwera transform 30 hectares of whenua into an export apple orchard. More than 23,000 trees have been planted, 19 new employees have joined its horticulture operations and more than $400,000 has been paid to local contractors. In Marlborough, $100,000 has helped