Collective effort raises $11,500 for Ngāti Porou marae

Contact Energy General Manager Nicholas Robinson presented Hiruharama marae representative, Rapaea Parata with their Nati Power competition prize at this years Pa Wars.

The power bills just got a wee bit easier for the marae of Ngāti Porou thanks to ‘Nati Power’, a joint initiative between Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou and Contact Energy, which raised over $11,500 to go towards powering up the marae of Ngāti Porou.

Contact Energy General Manager Nicholas Robinson was at Ngāti Porou Pā Wars in Ruatoria on January 3rd  to share the news with the iwi, who as expected, had turned out en masse to represent their marae with pride in the annual iwi inter-marae sports competition.

“I am pleased for Ngāti Porou whānau. The money that they have helped to raise through Nati Power is the result of their own hard work. In the last few weeks of the Nati Power promotion, families, marae, and the iwi went all out to promote this product and the benefits that it could yield for their marae.”

The  winner of the Nati Power Pa Wars competition was also announced at the event, and Mr Robinson congratulated the winner, Hiruharama marae. The marae received the highest number of votes for the competition, with the main prize comprising  20 new mattresses and sets of fitted sheets.

Toitu Ngāti Porou Chairperson Amohaere Houkamau said they were pleased with the amount raised for marae, and says that their relationship with Contact Energy has proven to be a successful model in supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Porou.

“We welcome any contribution that supports Ngāti Porou marae, and we are pleased with the $11,500 raised. That’s around $230 per marae that marae committees can use to offset their day to day running costs. It’s a small start, but it’s a move in the right direction.”

“When we first partnered with Contact to establish Nati Power, we said we wanted to start a power revolution. The revolution has begun and now Ngāti Porou needs to demonstrate its people power,” said Ms Houkamau.

“The cash is just one benefit to be derived from the use of collective leverage, we now want to apply this model to achieving a range of competitive quality products and services that provide  mutually beneficial outcomes for our whānau, marae and  business partners.”

“This model is already being applied in the area of marae insurance where we have been able to achieve competitive, insurance products and services with Aon insurance, which works for our marae, whānau and Aon.”

Ms Houkamau said “we would like to thank Ngāti Porou whānau, marae and hapū for all supporting this initiative and getting on board with the kaupapa. The result is fantastic, and we want to thank everyone who has contributed so far, to those of you who have yet to connect, your marae needs you.”

Nati Power is a pilot initiative between Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou and Contact Energy. An evaluation of the successes and learnings of the programme will be undertaking before deciding whether or not this promotion should be expanded.