New Zealand Māori Council

1. Business / Trading Name: New Zealand Māori Council (Te Kaunihera Māori o Aotearoa)

2. Company Number: Data Not Found (Statutory body established by Act of Parliament, not a registered company)

3. NZBN: Data Not Found (Not applicable – not registered on Companies Office)

4. Entity Type: Statutory body (established under the Māori Welfare Act 1962, renamed Māori Community Development Act 1962)

5. Business Classification: Not applicable (Advocacy and community development organisation for Māori)

6. Industry Category: Māori advocacy / Treaty of Waitangi rights & community representation

7. Year Founded: 1962 (created by the Maori Welfare Act 1962)

8. Addresses: Data Not Found (No registered office publicly listed; operates through regional councils nationwide)

9. Website URL: https://www.maoricouncil.org/about

10. LinkedIn URL: Data Not Found (No official LinkedIn page; individuals list affiliation on LinkedIn)

11. Company Hub NZ URL: Data Not Found (No profile on CompanyHub; NZMC is not on the Companies Register)

12. NZ Companies Office URL: Data Not Found (Not on Companies Office register; established by statute)

13. Social Media URLs: Facebook – facebook.com/NewZealandMaoriCouncil ; Twitter – twitter.com/CouncilNZ

14. Ultimate Holding Company: None (independent statutory entity; no parent organisation)

15. Key Shareholders: None (not a company; governed by Māori Council members from districts)

16. Leadership: Co-Chairs: George Ngātai QSM JP and Anne-Marie (Rotarangi) Kendall (elected 2024). Past Chair: Sir Graham Latimer (1973–2013).

17. Staff: Largely volunteer-based; a National Executive of ~7–8 elected members. Minimal paid staff (e.g. part-time administrator). Executive Director role (vacant since 2021).

18. Staff with Previous Government Roles: Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie (former High Court judge and Waitangi Tribunal Chair) ; Matthew Tukaki (former Chair of Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board) ; others mainly community leaders (e.g. George Ngātai, a Justice of the Peace).

19. Past Employees: Sir Graham Latimer (Chairman ~1973–2013) ; Cletus Maanu Paul (Co-Chair, longtime member, 1970s–2022) ; Sir Edward Durie (Co-Chair 2012–2016) ; Matthew Tukaki (Executive Director 2019–2021).

20. Clients: Data Not Found (The Council does not have “clients” – it represents Māori communities and interests)

21. Industries/Sectors Represented: Māori communities and iwi/hapū across all sectors (land, water, forestry, fisheries, broadcasting, social development, etc.)

22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: The Council regularly participates in government consultations and legal proceedings rather than formal lobbying meetings. It has made submissions to Parliament (e.g. on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill in 2025) and lodged claims in the Waitangi Tribunal (e.g. Wai 2417 regarding the Māori Community Development Act). (No formal lobbyist disclosures on record – engagement is typically via public legal action or submissions.)

23. Affiliations: Comprises 16 District Māori Councils and hundreds of local Māori Committees nationwide (structured per the 1962 Act). Statutory affiliation with Māori Wardens (who are provided for under the same Act). Historically has intersected with other Māori organisations – sometimes cooperative, sometimes rivalrous (e.g. a longstanding rivalry with the Federation of Māori Authorities over who speaks for Māori).

24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: Data Not Found (No notable corporate sponsorships; collaborations generally with iwi, hapū or other Māori bodies on specific issues rather than formal sponsorship arrangements).

25. Events (Organised by this organisation): Triennial National Conference (elections of officers) and periodic national hui on Māori issues. For example, in 2013 the NZ Māori Council co-hosted consultation hui on the Council’s future during the Act review. It also convenes issue-specific hui (e.g. on freshwater rights, Māori welfare) as needed.

26. Political Donations: None disclosed (The Council is not known to donate to political parties or candidates – no records in Electoral Commission filings).

27. Controversies: Multiple – including Internal disputes (e.g. 2021 election dispute where then-Executive Director Matthew Tukaki refused to step down after losing his seat, prompting a High Court case) ; Government relations (e.g. conflict with Te Puni Kōkiri over Māori Wardens control and funding, which the Waitangi Tribunal found breached Treaty principles) ; Alleged misrepresentation (NZMC had to publicly clarify that Matthew Tukaki was never “head” of the Council after a Minister wrongly described him as such) ; and funding controversies (e.g. a government job-training contract (~$1m) was transferred in 2021 from NZMC to a new entity led by Tukaki without the Council’s approval, raising questions of propriety).

28. Other Information of Note: The NZ Māori Council is one of the oldest Māori representative bodies, with a unique statutory mandate to advocate for all Māori, unlike iwi-specific organisations. Its influence has fluctuated – very prominent in the 1980s–1990s for landmark Treaty cases, though in recent years it has faced competition from the Iwi Chairs Forum and other Māori voices. The Council has often stepped in to represent smaller hapū and urban Māori who feel unheard by larger iwi authorities. It is currently pursuing modernisation under its new co-chairs, and remains a critical (if sometimes embattled) institution in Māori public affairs.

29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: Data Not Found (No public record of the NZ Māori Council receiving COVID-19 wage subsidies in 2020–21, likely due to its minimal paid staff and funding structure).

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz