Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund

The Fund's aim

Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund aims to:

• strengthen capability, capacity, skills and networks between Māori and the science and innovation system, and
• increase understanding of how research can contribute to the aspirations of Māori organisations and deliver benefit for New Zealand.

The Fund invests in the development of skilled people and organisations that plan to undertake, or are undertaking, research that supports the themes and outcomes of our Vision Mātauranga policy.

Vision Mātauranga - Unlocking the innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people [PDF, 359 KB]

The Vision Mātauranga policy aims to unlock the science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people to assist New Zealanders to create a better future.

We now invite applications to be considered for funding from Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund 2022 investment round. Our Investment Management System (IMS) will be open for applications from 17 August 2022 until 12 noon, 12 October 2022.

Investment Management System(external link)

The funding available

Approximately $2.0 million (excluding GST) per year is available to fund successful proposals in the Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund 2022 investment round. This funding is available through 2 schemes: Connect Scheme and Placement Scheme.

The Connect Scheme seeks to build new connections between Māori organisations and the science and innovation system.

The Placement Scheme seeks to enhance the development of an individual(s) through placement in a partner organisation. 

The work programme term for both Connect and Placement schemes is up to two years. 

For a work programme with a project of:

• up to 1 year in length, the maximum funding per successful proposal is $150,000 (excluding GST)
• between 1 and 2 years in length, the maximum funding per successful proposal is $250,000 (excluding GST).

See the:

Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund investment plan [PDF, 561 KB]

Updated for the 2023 investment round for details on the strategic context and investment areas for the fund.

Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund Call for Proposals 2023 [PDF, 1 MB]

For full details of the funding available and how to apply.

Funding decisions

Our Deputy Secretary, Labour, Science and Enterprise will make the final investment decisions on which proposals will be funded.

We will notify applicants of the funding decisions. We will also publish decisions and make an announcement via press release.

Related pages

Application and assessment information

Funded projects

Success stories