Earlier this year, we introduced Te Whare Manaaki, our kaupapa Māori koha-lending model, as it entered its pilot phase. We invited you to learn about the kaupapa and register your interest in becoming a Kaituku Pūtea.
I tēnei rā, we’re excited to share the next major milestone in that journey.
After almost a year of development, the Te Whare Manaaki platform is officially live, and registrations are now open for our founding Kaituku Pūtea.
Te Whare Manaaki is Aotearoa’s first kaupapa Māori peer-to-peer lending platform, connecting kaituku pūtea (investors) with pakihi Māori (Māori businesses) through zero-interest, repayable loans.
From idea to platform
Operating under the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) Regulatory Sandbox, Te Whare Manaaki is testing a new, tikanga-led approach to how capital can flow within the Māori economy.
Grounded in whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and reciprocity, it creates a structured pathway for individuals, whānau, trusts, companies, hapū and iwi to put their pūtea behind pakihi Māori and kaupapa they believe in.
This is not a donation platform, traditional lending model or transactional crowdfunding tool. Instead, your koha is provided to pakihi as a zero-interest, repayable loan. Like any investing or lending, it comes with risk.
As that loan is repaid, you can choose to receive your pūtea back or pay it forward to support another pakihi, allowing the same capital to continue creating opportunity.
Your journey as a Kaituku Pūtea
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Register: Create your Te Whare Manaaki account and complete your registration as a Kaituku Pūtea.
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Explore: Discover pakihi ready for investment and learn about their kaupapa, aspirations and funding goals.
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Pledge: Choose a pakihi you want to tautoko and pledge your koha. No payment is taken when you make your pledge.
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Make your koha: Once the pakihi reaches its funding goal, you’ll be invited to complete your koha.
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Follow the journey: Your pūtea is loaned to the pakihi and we’ll keep you connected with updates throughout their journey.
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Next steps: As the loan is repaid in full, choose to receive your pūtea back or pay it forward to another pakihi.
He karanga ki ngā Kaituku
Whether you registered your interest when we first introduced Te Whare Manaaki or you’re discovering the kaupapa for the first time, you can now take the next step.
You don’t need to be an experienced investor. Kaituku Pūtea can be individuals or collectives, including whānau, trusts, companies, hapū and iwi, with koha starting from as little as $25.
This is an opportunity to be part of our founding community of Kaituku Pūtea and help demonstrate what becomes possible when our collective pūtea moves with purpose.
