Budget Fall Out - Ko te Kōrero te Ara
When the dust settled on Budget 2025, many of us in the environmental and Māori development space were left feeling unheard. Initiatives that uplift our reo, strengthen our kaitiakitanga, and support our rangatiratanga were scaled back or stopped altogether.
The disestablishment of Predator Free Limited, a flagship programme for biodiversity protection, marked a stark shift away from collaborative conservation. The closure of the Mātauranga Kura Taiao Fund cut deep — not only because of the loss of resources, but because it silenced a space where our own ways of knowing, doing, and being were finally being recognised as essential to environmental resilience.
These decisions carry more than budgetary consequences — they fray the relationship between Crown and hapū, and diminish the momentum Māori have fought to build in environmental leadership.
At Tū Mai Te Toki, our mahi has always been about holding fast to kaupapa while creating clear pathways for connection. The removal of funding doesn't just affect projects — it affects trust. And in our experience, trust is the currency of impact.
Now is the time to double down on engagement.
If government policy is shifting fast, our communication must be even more agile. If the door to resourcing is closing, our collective voice must find new entry points. The people we work with — from hapū leadership to national institutions — still need to be seen, heard, and understood.
Strategic engagement is not just a tool; it’s a tikanga. It’s how we honour whakapapa, protect taonga, and ensure that our stories are not sidelined but centred.
And at the heart of that engagement lies authentic storytelling — not just as a way to inform, but to transform. Stories rooted in truth, lived experience and mātauranga are powerful. They help us reimagine what’s possible, galvanise collective action, and keep us moving toward a future where mana motuhake and rangatiratanga are not just aspirations, but realities.
Whether we’re advising on marine restoration, guiding policy consultation, or crafting digital content that weaves together mātauranga Māori and mainstream science — our focus is the same: helping our clients to kōrero with clarity, integrity and mana.
The wero is clear. Will we be silenced, or will we speak in ways that inspire?
Tū Mai Te Toki is here to support those who choose to speak. To strategise with those who still believe in listening. And to walk alongside those determined to uplift our people, despite the shifting tides.
Because in a time of cuts, confusion, and consolidation — authentic communication and courageous storytelling are our sharpest tools.
Ko te kōrero te toki. Let us wield it well.
