Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust

What Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust does

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust is an iwi settlement trust established in 2009 and headquartered at 1204 Whakaue Street, Rotorua, New Zealand (with trust operations also conducted from Te Whare Koromatua o Whakaue at 1268 Arawa Street). The Trust was created to receive, grow, and distribute the Ngāti Whakaue tribe's settlement assets arising from the Central North Island Forests Collective Settlement. Its mandate is iwi-defined, governed by a board chaired by Hemi Rolleston, with Ngāti Whakaue Wāhine Toa serving as Manahautū (CEO) since July 2023. Underlying technology is administrative in nature (Squarespace website, email newsletter, social channels); there is no proprietary technology platform. Revenue and asset figures are not publicly disclosed.

The Trust's deliverable surface is a portfolio of initiatives, programmes, and grants rather than traditional products. It operates Marae Tautoko Grants (supporting six eligible Whakaue marae), Kaupapa/Hapori Grants, the Te Toki Ngao Tū Governance Wānanga (a tikanga-based governance training programme delivered in partnership with the Institute of Directors), Te Pae Mātai (a Board Observer Programme), RINGA RAUTIA (a business development course produced with Toi-Ohomai), the Whakaue Pakihi online marketplace for Māori businesses, Rangatahi Kaupapa (youth initiatives), and Whakaue Whakanuia (the annual cultural celebration held since 2014). The Trust's distribution pool for the financial year is NZD 440,000.

The business model is that of a non-profit iwi trust: settlement-derived assets generate returns that are distributed to beneficiaries (uri), hapū and marae through grants, training, and economic development programmes, rather than through commercial pricing. Distribution is anchored on marae and hui (Annual Hui, Mid-Year Hui, Marae Hui), with a complementary digital channel via Whakaue Pakihi. Strategic partners include Pukeroa Ōruawhata Trust, Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment Trust, Toi-Ohomai, the Institute of Directors, and Scion (via the Chair's executive role). The Trust has executed a whenua repatriation transaction (purchase of Rainbow Springs land from Ngāi Tahu) and serves a closed beneficiary class of Ngāti Whakaue uri in the Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, and Maketū rohe.

Name

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust

Legal name

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust

Website

https://whakaue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust, established in 2009 in Rotorua, New Zealand, receives, grows, and distributes the Ngāti Whakaue iwi's settlement funds from the Central North Island Forests Collective Settlement. It delivers governance training, marae grants, business development programmes, and cultural initiatives for iwi uri and six eligible marae.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Iwi Settlement Trust Management

NAICS

Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Trust & Fiduciary Services (FSAEAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Trust & Fiduciary Advisory for HNW/UHNW (Trust Structuring & Trustee Oversight) (FSAAABAF)

Keywords

• Iwi settlement trust
• Settlement fund management
• Marae support grants
• Governance training programmes
• Māori business development

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotorua

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust manages the Ngāti Whakaue tribe's settlement assets and reinvests returns through an annual Distribution Pool that funds marae support grants, hapori/kaupapa grants, governance training (Te Toki Ngao Tū), youth initiatives (Rangatahi Kaupapa), cultural celebrations (Whakaue Whakanuia), a Māori business development programme (Ringa Rautia) and an online marketplace (Whakaue Pakihi). It is a non-profit iwi trust, not a commercial product or service vendor.

Product overview

Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust operates as a unified offering of initiatives, programmes, and grants rather than a traditional product platform. The Trust was established in 2009 to receive, grow and distribute the tribe's settlement funds from the Central North Island Forests Collective Settlement. The portfolio includes cultural celebration initiatives (Whakaue Whakanuia), governance training programmes (Te Toki Ngao Tū), youth initiatives (Rangatahi Kaupapa), an online marketplace for Māori businesses (Whakaue Pakihi), a business development programme (Ringa Rautia), and various grant programmes supporting marae sustainability and community projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whakaue Whakanuia: Annual celebration of Ngāti Whakaue uniqueness - tikanga, reo and waiata - first held in 2014
• Te Toki Ngao Tū
• Ringa Rautia
• Whakaue Pakihi
• Te Pae Mātai

Products and services

• Whakaue Whakanuia Cultural celebration initiative that celebrates Ngāti Whakaue's uniqueness including tikanga, reo and waiata, strengthening connections between hapū, whānau and their marae. Supported by the Trust since 2014.
• Te Toki Ngao Tū — Ngāti Whakaue Governance Wānanga Governance training programme that upskills Ngāti Whakaue uri aspiring to a governance pathway. Includes sessions on Ngāti Whakaue governance history and a Governance Essentials Course delivered in partnership with the Institute of Directors.
• Ringa Rautia — Whakaue Business Development Programme Business development programme produced in partnership with Toi-Ohomai, designed to support Ngāti Whakaue business development and Māori entrepreneurs.
• Whakaue Pakihi online marketplace

Quantifiable outcome

• 16+ governance appointments secured by programme participants
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Pukeroa Ōruawhata TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner in the Ngāti Whakaue Future Governors' Programme, providing expertise and resources for governance development initiatives within the iwi.
• Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner in the Ngāti Whakaue Future Governors' Programme, contributing to the iwi's governance development ecosystem.
• Toi-OhomaiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce RINGA RAUTIA - Whakaue Business Development Course, a programme supporting Ngāti Whakaue business development and Māori entrepreneurs.
• Institute of Directors (IoD)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivers the Governance Essentials Course as part of the Ngāti Whakaue Governance Wānanga programme, providing recognized governance training to aspiring Ngāti Whakaue directors.
• ScionminorOthersHemi Rolleston, Chair of Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust, serves as General Manager of Te Ao Māori and Science Services at Scion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ngāti Tūwharetoa: Bay of Plenty / central North Island iwi with a settlement trust model that invests and distributes funds to hapū and uri. Operates in a similar geography and serves a comparable beneficiary base to Ngāti Whakaue.
• Tūhoe: Holds the Te Urewera settlement assets and runs iwi development programmes similar in function to Ngāti Whakaue's Te Toki Ngao Tū and Whakaue Pakihi initiatives. Comparable as a settlement-driven iwi organisation focused on capability building.
• Te Rarawa: Northland iwi with a settlement trust that invests and distributes assets to uri. Comparable in trust structure, beneficiary focus and iwi development programming model.
• Ngāti Porou: East Coast iwi with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou managing settlement assets and a wide portfolio of iwi development programmes. Comparable in operating model and the breadth of cultural, governance and education initiatives.
• Ngāti Awa: Bay of Plenty iwi with a Post Settlement Governance Entity and iwi development programmes operating in close geographic proximity to Ngāti Whakaue. Directly comparable in structure and regional context.
• Waikato-Tainui: Manages the Waikato Raupatu Lands Settlement funds for Tainui iwi, investing and distributing settlement assets to uri. Highly comparable in mandate and structure to Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust.
• Ngāpuhi: Large Northland iwi with a settlement trust structure and iwi development programmes targeting uri. Comparable mandate to Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust in managing settlement-derived assets for iwi benefit.

Broad incumbents

• New Zealand Community Trust: One of New Zealand's largest grant-making community trusts, distributing funds from gaming machine proceeds to community organisations. Comparable as a New Zealand trust that invests and grants funds for community benefit, though at significantly larger scale.
• Ngāi Tahu: Largest iwi in New Zealand with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu managing the largest Treaty settlement asset base. Directly comparable as an iwi settlement trust that invests settlement funds and distributes to uri, but at much greater scale and commercial breadth.

Regional players

• Akaroa Community Trust: Regional community trust distributing funds to community causes in the Akaroa region. Comparable as a New Zealand community trust making grants to a defined beneficiary base, though smaller in scale and not iwi-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ngatiwhakaueassetstrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ngati-whakaue-assets-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust