Māori initiatives have got more than $1 billion in Budget 2022 with Māori health getting the biggest piece of that pie.
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This year's Budget sees $579.9 million going towards Māori health and wellbeing.
Budget 2022 will invest $188.1m over four years to the Māori Health Authority Te Mana Hauora, set to be launched on 1 July, for direct commissioning of services and more support for iwi Māori partnership boards which will be allocated $20.1m of that.
In the first financial year Te Mana Hauora will have $33m and then $45m annually after that to commission and to choose and fund Māori services.
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson said it was just the beginning and builds on past investments and "makes sure that our investment matches with the capacity to deliver it".
Some $30m will also be invested in Māori providers and health workers to provide support and sustain capital infrastructure.
"Māori die at twice the rate as non-Māori from cardiovascular disease, tamariki Māori have a mortality rate one and a half times the rate found in non-Māori children, Māori are more likely to be diagnosed and die from cancer and Māori die on average seven years earlier than non Māori," Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare says.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Whānau Ora received $166m including funding for Ngā Tini Whetū, a joint agency support programme with ACC and Oranga Tamariki.
Lack of workforce capability has been identified as a key factor in being able to bolster Te Mana Hauora - and $39m will be used for Māori workforce training and development to support them within the new health system.
The $579.9m invested in Māori health and wellbeing is on top of the $11.1b health allocation.
Māori adaptation to climate change
$162m will be committed to whenua Māori entities to transition to a lower emissions land uses, reduce biological emissions and develop a Māori Climate Action Plan.
$101m of that will come out of the $2.9b Climate Emergency Response Fund.
This comes as Māori climate change advocates have been calling for a better commitment from the government to recognise the role and benefits of genuine partnership with tangata whenua on the issues of climate change and adaptation.
$35m Agriculture Emissions Reduction funding to support more sustainable and productive land use practices.
It also includes $36m to strengthen mātauranga based approaches to reducing biological emissions, $16.3m for an Equitable Transitions Programme, $30.5m Māori Climate Action and $11.6m for the Takutai Moana implementation of Engagement Strategy.
Māori economy and employment
$155m is being pumped into the Māori economy and employment.
The new funding will deliver targeted capability services for 100 Māori businesses per year and will extend support for progressive procurement with $26m over the next two years allocate to scaling up and building Māori businesses and shift government agency buying practices to be more inclusive.
Māori education
$200m will go to supporting Māori education.
"We will continue to invest in growing a strong and capable workforce for our Māori medium and kaupapa Māori sector in partnership with iwi and Māori," Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said.
"Our support includes $47m for the Māori Language Programme funding at its highest level of immersion (level 1) with funding given directly to kura to address the needs of their ākonga and whānau."
There will also be increased operational and capital funding for Māori medium education to ensure good classrooms and ability to purchase new sites for kura.
Māori media
$40m over two years will go to positioning the Māori Media Sector within a new public media environment by growing capacity, capability and delivery of content.
The investment will include creating a workforce strategy and growing current workforces, the maintenance and growth of iwi media collaboration in news and current affairs and the creation of content that reflects te reo Māori and stories by the independent production community for distribution across a range of platforms.
Protecting reo Māori, culture and identity
A long-awaited boost for the protection of mātauranga Māori and taonga with $28 million dollars over four years going toward Te Pae Tawhiti.
"Unlocking the significant economic and cultural benefits for Aotearoa through intellectual property, genetic resources and international form is a focus for this government," Associate Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta said.
"The focus of this funding will be through intellectual property, genetic resources and international forums."
Te Matatini is set to get a boost through the Cultural Sector Workforce Capability initiative so it can deliver the beloved Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata National kapa haka festival and help plan for the future to develop a regional kapa haka model.
The initiative includes $45m over four years, however, that is allocated to a number of organisations - including NZSO, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision and others - with Te Matatini set to receive $4m over four years.
