More than $12 million of funding for Māori boarding schools goes to Hawke's Bay

Te Aute College is one of three Māori boarding schools in Hawke's Bay that have received new funding for upgrades from the Government. Photo / NZME

Three Hawke's Bay Māori boarding schools will benefit from just over $12 million through the $20m Māori Boarding Schools initiative.

In the 2021 Budget, the Government decided to allocate $20m to Māori boarding schools through an initiative for property maintenance and upgrades to operations.

An allocation of $14.9m from the fund was announced by the Minister for Māori Development, Willie Jackson, on Thursday.

St Joseph Māori Girls' College in Napier had been allocated $6.2m, Te Aute College in Central Hawke's Bay had been awarded $5m and Hukarere Girls' College in Eskdale received $981,300.

Hato Pāora College near Cheltenham, Feilding, had been allocated $2.7m.

Previous payments of $2,337,000 were made in 2021/22 to Hato Pāora and St Joseph's as part of the initiative to address urgent works.

A Beehive statement said the funding allocation for each school was determined with an emphasis on resolving critical infrastructure issues.

The statement said all four of the Māori boarding schools play a significant role in the development of future Māori leaders and have been long-standing, staunch advocates of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, kapa haka, and other aspects of te ao Māori.

"These kura are iconic Māori institutions that have produced eminent Māori leaders such as Tā Apirana Ngāta, Tā Peter Te Rangi Hīroa Buck and Dame Whina Cooper, and countless other leaders in our communities and iwi," Jackson said

"Upgrading the critical facilities for these kura is crucial to ensuring they can continue to nurture rangatahi Māori leaders and provide quality education."