Te Ngahuru mā tahi o Paengawhāwhā

A message from our chair

Kia ora

Thank you to those who attended the Annual General Meeting at Hīrangi Marae last month – and for your kōrero and questions on the day and since.

At our annual hui, trustees shared an update on the financial position of the Lake Taupō Forest Trust and the decisions required to ensure its long-term sustainability. Since its establishment in 1968, the Trust has protected the whenua under our collective kaitiakitanga while generating benefits for our owners. Since 1995, more than $121 million has been returned to owners and communities through grants, dividends and other support.

Last year the Trustees flagged to owners that there would be financial impacts from Cyclone Gabrielle which hit our forests in early 2023. That impact is now being felt. At the AGM, Trustees shared that net forestry revenue has reduced from $36 million in 2024 to $2.2 million in 2025, alongside a $94.8 million reduction in forest asset value between 2023 and 2025.

Given these circumstances, the Trustees have confirmed that a dividend distribution for this year will remain paused with the possibility of dividends over the next four years also doubtful. Trustees will continue to review the situation annually.

This decision reflects both the financial impacts of the cyclone and the need to ensure the Trust remains financially resilient into the future. We will still be retaining all grants and benefits to our owners and their uri to the value of $3 million.

These benefits include:

• Education grants supporting our tauira
• Tangihanga assistance, increased to $3000 from 1 January 2026
• Annual kaumātua grants
• Operational funding for our 10 marae
• Other grants and community support initiatives.

The Trustees also continue to explore opportunities that will strengthen the long-term wellbeing of our people and whenua, including:

• Supporting financial capability and entrepreneurship among our whānau
• Expanding taiao-based projects focused on wai, whenua, kai and rongoā
• Strengthening opportunities for whānau and hapū to reconnect with the whenua
• Diversifying the Trust’s investments beyond reliance on pine forestry

We acknowledge that these decisions are difficult, particularly at a time when many whānau are facing financial pressures. However, the Trustees remain committed to making decisions that protect the long-term strength of the Trust and the whenua entrusted to our care.

Tina Porou, Chair

The view above Hīrangi Marae during the annual meeting. 

Annual meeting draws 200

About 200 of the Lake Taupō Forest Trust whānau gathered at Hīrangi Marae for the annual meeting last month.

The pause on the annual distribution, which began last year and will be reviewed annually in the years ahead, was a major discussion point, but so was the affirmation of continued charitable grants and the drive to find new and broader benefits to deliver to a growing ownership base.

Chair Tina Porou stressed those benefits needed to support the health and well-being of whānau and the whenua.

In her annual report she recapped on the financial impacts of the cyclone and spoke of an emphasis on stability and resilience until harvesting levels return to pre-cyclone levels.

We want to hear from you

We are contacting our owners and uri because we want their thoughts as we review the grants, benefits and programmes we provide.

Your whakaaro will help shape what support looks like in the future.

Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey which closes on 28 March 2026 at 5pm.

There is a lucky draw of four $50 Prezzy Cards for survey responders.

Heading out into our ngahere

Ka hoki ētahi uri ki Wharewera, he kāinga tawhito nō tētahi peka o Ngāti Te Rangiita.

We have hosted another hīkoi into our ngahere earlier this month. These  hononga ki te whenua strengthen our connection to the whenua by getting our people out and experiencing our taiao.

Wharewera was chosen because of the rua and pātaka within this kāinga. At this time of year, our people would utilise these storage areas to ensure kai stocks were full and able to sustain the whānau through the winter season.

Along the track, we also observed a number of harore or mushroom, another important food source.

Those who attended shared that the hīkoi was “awesome,” and spoke of the deep sense of serenity and peacefulness felt within the space – a place once lived in and cared for by our tūpuna.

Our next trip is scheduled for the last weekend in May, either Saturday 30 or Sunday 31 May. Spaces are limited, so please keep an eye out for registration details via email and Facebook.

Tata oti te tau Māori, ā, ka neke piri tata a Tama-nui-te-rā ki a Hinetakurua. Tihei Matariki e!

Kua tae mai tātou ki te Ngahurutanga o te tau

During Ngahuru temperatures cool and the last of our migration manu head north – like the pīpīwharauroa.

Ngahuru is a time for collecting seeds or preserving kai. However, some vegetables taste better after a winter frost, as the freeze converts starches into sugars.

Following hauhake, we enter the season of Takurua – let’s keep our home fires burning.

Our tūpuna looked forward to this time as an indication of what will come in the new year.

Grants open for 2026

Applications for the Lake Taupō Forest Trust 2026 Tertiary Education Grants are now open.

Grants are available to full time students enrolled at any NZQA-accredited university, college of education, polytechnic or whare wānanga. Secondary school students are not eligible.

Eligible fields of study include forestry, finance, business management, law, science, engineering, environmental studies including taiao, information technology, GIS mapping, marketing, te reo Māori and health professions.

Grant values are determined by the number of successful applicants each year.

To apply for the 2026 Tertiary Education Grants, click the link below. If you have any questions, contact the Trust office. Applications close at 4.30pm on Friday 1 May 2026.

George Asher and Marama Mariu.

Two new Trustees voted in

The Lake Taupō Forest Trust has two new faces following the triennial elections late last year.

George Asher and Marama Mariu were elected, while two sitting members up for election by rotation were returned – Tina Porou and Heemi Biddle.

Trustees for the 2025-2028 term are Tina Porou, Ngahere Wall, Heemi Biddle, Judy Harris,  Manaia Blakie, George Asher and Marama Mariu.

There were 1432 votes cast from 5271 eligible electors (27 per cent), with  54 per cent voting online and the remainder by post.

Registration remains a priority

While annual distributions from the Trust are on hold, the registration process remains a key part of the Trust’s structure, being the pathway to accessing benefits as an owner or descendent.

Trust staff are always available to help with succession (via the Māori Land Court) and registration (with the Trust) processes.

The Trust holds about $16 million in unclaimed dividends for descendants – and we love seeing new owners registered and, in many cases, accessing the money owed to them.

As time goes on registration becomes harder if succession from one generation to the next is overlooked.

The Māori Land Court succession process currently can take between four and eight months but, once granted, the registration paperwork with the Trust is straight forward and we have people in Administration and Grants at Tūrangi happy to help.

Find out more at www.ltft.co.nz/registration or call into the Tūrangi office to talk it over with Keita or Shanyn.

Stepping stone to governance

Uri of the trust looking to gain experience in governance are invited to join the next cohort of the Manupiri Kaitiaki Programme.

The 12-month programme is open to uri who are passionate about leadership and interested in future governance pathways. The associate trustee programme supports the growth of future trustees and strengthens leadership for our whenua and uri.

Applications are now closed.

Taina Cooper and Hepi Ferris-Bretherton were the first associates.

Help to get behind the wheel

Having a full driver’s licence opens many opportunities for young people and their whānau and the Forest Trust can help with costs.

As an owner or beneficiary, you may be eligible for financial support as you move through the process.

Get in touch with the Trust at general@ltft.co.nz or call into the Tūrangi office or phone 07 386 8839.

And remember the way you get a driver licence will be changing from next year, to reduce barriers to gaining a licence. That comes in from January 2027.