Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa​​​​​​​

Providing funding for projects and programmes in Te Tai Tokerau

Ka pū te ruha ka hao te rangatahi

Old approaches must make way for new


Tēnei au te hōkai nei o taku tapuwae
Ko te hōkai nuku ko te hōkai rangi
Ko te hōkai a tō tupuna a Tānenui-a-rangi
Ka pikitia ai ki te rangi tūhāhā ki te Tihi-o-Manono
Ka rokohina atu rā ko Te Matua-kore anake
Ka tīkina mai ngā kete o te wānanga
Ko te kete-tuauri
Ko te kete-tuatea
Ko te kete-aronui​​​​​​​
Ka tiritiria ka poupoua
Ka puta mai iho ko te ira tangata
Ki te wheiao ki te ao mārama
Tihei-mauri ora!

This is the journey of sacred footsteps
Journeyed about the earth journeyed about the heavens
The journey of the ancestral god Tānenuiarangi
Who ascended into the heavens to Te Tihi-o-Manono
Where he found the parentless source
From there he retrieved the baskets of knowledge
Te kete-tuauri
Te kete-tuatea
Te kete-aronui​​​​​​​
These were distributed and implanted about the earth
From which came human life
Growing from dim light to full light
There was life!

Te Whakapapa o Tū Manawa i a Sport Northland

The history of Tū Manawa at Sport Northland

Sport Northland is proud to be managing Tū Manawa on behalf of Sport NZ in our region. Tū Manawa builds on the previous funding support from the KiwiSport fund, which successfully ran across Aotearoa for over a decade. Tū Manawa is aiming to transform approaches to engaging tamariki and rangatahi in healthy and active lifestyles for life through tākaro/play, ngā mahi a te rēhia/active recreation and hākinakina/sport. Sport NZ released this fund with a particular focus on groups who are less active, including girls and young women, disabled people and those living in higher deprivation communities. Therefore, we welcome applications that will provide quality experiences for these groups.

Sport Northland launched Tū Manawa in July 2020. Between July 2020 and June 2023, we have distributed $2.9m of funding to over 300 kaupapa across Te Tai Tokerau.

We are continually improving our funding process to ensure equitable distribution of funding across Northland. As part of this, we have developed a funding framework ‘Ngā Kete o Tū Manawa’ to support applicants to achieve greater impact for whānau and their communities.

Ngā Kete o Tū Manawa

The treasures we seek to obtain

Our funding framework was developed based on the story of Tāne ascending to Te Tihi-o-Manono to obtain the baskets of knowledge. This framework demonstrates our bi-cultural approach to achieve our vision of all Northlanders moving more for enhanced wellbeing.

Te Kete Tuatea o Te Tiriti o Waitangi

We are committed to upholding the mana of the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We acknowledge He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding documents.

We use this fund to support whānau to be the best version of themselves, as determined by them.

We support kaupapa that will lead to:

  • Thriving tamariki, rangatahi and whānau
  • Improved equity and wellbeing as Māori
  • Māori leading their own solutions and changing systems.
  • Tangata whenua as partners in decision making.
  • Whānau, Hapū, Iwi, Hapori & Marae being supported to achieve their aspirations through connection to whakapapa, Mātauranga Māori, Te Reo me ona Tikanga.  

Te Kete Tuauri o Te Taiao

This approach supports a deeper understanding of the relationship between people and Te Taiao (the environment). As a wider Tū Manawa network, we are committed to adopting an environmental lens over our investments and working collectively across the motu to reduce our impact on the environment.

We support approaches to conserving, restoring and renewing the environment so that Te Taiao and people can flourish together.

We support kaupapa that will lead to:

  • Ecosystems and communities being renewed and regenerated.
  • Mātauranga Māori (indigenous knowledge, practices and approaches) being recognised, valued and implemented.
  • Tino rangatiratanga – community-led action for Te Taiao
  • Connection and access to Te Taiao

Te Kete Aronui o Aronga Whanokē

This approach supports a greater willingness to experiment and think differently about engaging people in physical activity.

We support kaupapa that:

  • Are designed, developed and delivered by rangatahi
  • Are sustainable and promote intergenerational change
  • Explore new ideas and concepts
  • Identify new opportunities for collaboration

Ngā Kete o Tū Manawa is a guide for whānau to support them with their application and outlines the key priorities that our decision making panel considers. A kaupapa does not need to achieve all outcomes that we are seeking (all three Kete), it’s there to guide you in the development of meaningful, sustainable and impactful kaupapa.

Ngā Taura o Ngā Kete

The binding that holds and protects our kete

Ngā Tikanga o Tū Manawa

 The process

Ma wai e tono? | Who can apply?

He aha ngā kaupapa ka taea te tono? | What can be funded?

E hia ngā utu ka taea e au te tono? | How much can I apply for?

Ko wai e kore e taea te tono? | Who cannot apply?

He aha ngā kaupapa kahore e utu? | What can't be funded?

Delivery in a school/kura setting

Wā Pūtea | Funding Dates

Wātaka PuteaWā WhakatuwheraWā Whakamutanga
Tū Manawa o HōtokeMaure o HōngongoiMutuwhenua o Hereturikōkā
Tū Manawa o KōangaMaure o MahuruMutuwhenua o Whiringa ā Rangi
Tū Manawa o RaumatiMaure o HakiheaMutuwhenua o Huitanguru
Tū Manawa o NgahuruŌhua o Huitanguru

Mutuwhenua o Haratua


Our funding rounds align with the Maramataka. These four rounds align to ngā wāhanga o te tau. Each round opens on a Maure (Tangaroa phase) or Ōhua (Tane phase) marama as this is a good time for planting new crops and gathering kai. Each round closes on a mutuwhenua marama which signals the end of a lunar cycle.  


Funding RoundsOpening DateClosing Date
Winter Round16 July 202315 August 2023
Spring Round13 September 202312 November 2023
Summer Round11 December 20239 February 2024
Autumn Round24 February 20247 May 2024


When will I hear if my application is successful or not?​​​​​​​

Applicants will be contacted about the outcome within 2-3 weeks of the closing date of the round​​​​​​​.

Payment schedule will be as follows:

As a general rule, 75% of funding will be paid on the signing of an investment schedule and 25% on the submission of a satisfactory final report.  This is reviewed on a case by case bases when needed. Failure to meet the agreed actions in the investment schedule satisfactorily may result in funding having to be returned. Payment will be made on receipt of a 7-day invoice.

If you have any questions or have finished your project and are ready to submit your final report, please email us on funding@sportnorth.co.nz and the team will happily answer any questions or send you your online reporting form.

Te Haerenga o Ngā Kete o Tū Manawa

Based on the kōrero of the scholar Māori Marsden, it was said that Te Kete Tuatea (basket of light) is present knowledge, Te Kete Tuauri (basket of darkness) is all things unknown, and Te Kete Aronui (basket of pursuit) is the knowledge that humans currently seek. Our interpretation and application of the kōrero from Māori Marsden provides a broader scope of kaupapa to be funded. We don’t read the kete in isolation from one another, nor the straight translation of their meanings.

In the context of Tū Manawa:

Te Kete Tuatea o Te Tiriti o Waitangi is seen as the basket of light from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, where we look at what knowledge we currently know (inequities, systemic racism, intergenerational trauma etc), and focus on investing into kaupapa that demonstrate a focus on improved equity and wellbeing as Māori.

Te Kete Tuauri o Te Taiao is seen as the basket of things unknown in Te Taiao, where we focus on the connection, access and protection of Te Taiao.

Te Kete Aronui o Te Aronga Whanokē is seen as the basket of pursuit of knowledge that humans currently seek, where we focus on investing into innovation and human advancement

Nā Trina Henare (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) i whakaingoatia ngā kete o Tū Manawa - Te Kaiārahi He Oranga Poutama, Te Kāhui Rautaki Māori, Ihi Aotearoa | Sport NZ

Additional Funding Options

If you haven’t already, check out these additional ways to fund your kaupapa and the individuals that Tū Manawa is trying to target. ​​​​​​​

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