$10 million for a marae while everyone else pays their own way

The Government’s announcement of $10 million for Ringatū marae in the Bay of Plenty has left a sour taste. Not because marae are unimportant, but because of the growing expectation that the taxpayer should keep footing the bill for projects that other community groups are expected to fund themselves.

Making the announcement at Rātana, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said the funding would boost resilience at Wainui Marae near Ōhope. We were told it would create 71 jobs and deliver a full complex including a wharenui, wharekai, wharetāonga, wharepaku, and modern facilities for worship, learning, and events. All very worthy on paper.

Here is the blunt question that never seems to get asked. Why can’t marae fund themselves?

Across New Zealand, sports clubs, churches, community halls, surf lifesaving clubs, and volunteer organisations are constantly rattling the tin. They run raffles, sausage sizzles, quiz nights, apply for modest grants, and lean heavily on volunteers. They do not get handed eight figure cheques from the Crown. They are expected to stand on their own two feet.

Even Jones acknowledged the country is “short of putea”, thanking Finance Minister Nicola Willis for supporting the spend regardless. If money is tight, why is $10 million being prioritised here, instead of hospitals, roads, schools, or cost-of-living relief that benefits everyone?

Jones was quick to insist this was not about buying votes, pointing to previous large scale spending elsewhere. Winston Peters doubled down, framing the funding as a customary gift. He said when governments come to places like Rātana, they leave something behind, calling it “the Māori way” and noting it has happened for decades…