National kapa haka festival Te Matatini has almost $50 million in funding in Budget 2024.

Te Matatini had not been funded beyond this year. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said the significance of kapa haka to Te Ao Māori was something “we value deeply” and Te Matatini contributed positively to “intergenerational learning” among whānau.

“Financial certainty for Te Matatini over the coming years is one thing, however it will also ensure that through kapa haka, te reo Māori and Māori culture can be enjoyed throughout Aotearoa.”

In her Budget speech today, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she had kept her commitment to Potaka to allocate the funding, which is over three years from 2025/26.

Meanwhile, some initiatives that have been affected include ceasing the Te Ringa Hāpai Whenua Fund as “support will be provided through other mechanisms” such as a fund managed by Te Puni Kōkiri.

Te Puni Kōkiri itself has a funding cut of $39m in Budget 2024, covering reduction in staff, contractors, and consultants.

The Future of Work Forum, which received funding in the previous Budget, has been ceased and its funding cut.

The coalition Government’s policies affecting Māori have been contentious. On Budget Day, scores of people participated in a nationwide protest against the Government’s polices for Māori. There were major delays on Auckland motorways this morning as the slow-moving “carkois” headed into the city.

A campaign group named Toitū Te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty) planned a strike today to “demonstrate a unified Aotearoa response to the Government’s assault on tangata whenua [Māori people] and Te Tiriti of Waitangi”.

Earlier this week, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said during a speech in Parliament that “our people ... have reached the absolute point of intolerance”.

“In the words of some of our constitutes, this is a Government that has unleashed an ... unruly assault on Māori. I am extremely grateful because you have woken us up.”

Ahead of today’s Budget, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the Government was the “most anti-Māori, anti-Tiriti Government I’ve seen in my lifetime. I’m not going to be surprised at all if there is not proper targeted funding [for Māori].”