A delegation from the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation will travel to Aotearoa / New Zealand this month to study the commercial strategies of Māori corporations, including the investment platform of Tainui Iwi - Tainui Group Holdings.
The delegation will bring together representatives of the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation, including the Corporation's chair, deputy chair, directors and chief executive, for a week-long program of governance briefings, asset tours and meetings with Māori leaders.
The delegation follows an invitation from leaders of Waikato-Tainui and its commercial leadership, including executive chairman Tuku Morgan and chief executive Donna Flavell. Whadjuk delegates are also planning to meet with the Māori Queen, Nga wai hono I te po.
For the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation (WAC), the visit forms part of a broader governance, management, operational and financial reset aimed at strengthening the organisation's economic foundations and examining how Indigenous institutions can build long-term wealth through enterprise and asset ownership. The Corporation has recently elected a new board chair, announced an election to fill a member-elected director position, appointed two new directors, and announced a full historic financial audit, to draw a line under an earlier period of turmoil.
Across Aotearoa, iwi corporations have become significant economic actors following Treaty settlement agreements with the Crown. Many tribes now operate commercial investment entities managing diversified portfolios spanning property, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and energy.
Among the most prominent examples is Tainui Group Holdings, the commercial investment arm of Tainui Iwi and one of the most advanced Indigenous investment platforms in the Pacific region. Built from the tribe's Treaty settlement assets, the group now manages a portfolio with approximately NZ$2.4 billion in total assets, spanning commercial property, logistics infrastructure, hospitality and diversified financial investments.
Its holdings include some of Aotearoa's most significant iwi-owned commercial assets, including Te Awa - The Base, one of the country's largest shopping centres, and the Ruakura Superhub, a 610-hectare inland logistics and industrial precinct being developed as a major freight and distribution hub near Hamilton. The group also operates a growing hospitality portfolio including the Novotel Tainui Hamilton and ibis Tainui Hamilton, and is a partner in the Pullman Auckland Airport hotel development alongside Auckland Airport and global hotel operator Accor.
Tainui Group Holdings functions as the commercial engine of the Tainui Iwi. Investment returns are reinvested to grow the tribal asset base while funding iwi programmes in education, housing, health, environmental restoration and cultural development, demonstrating how settlement assets can be transformed into long-term economic platforms for Indigenous communities.
"First Nations communities in Aotearoa have built strong, self-determined economies. By connecting with the TGH and the Māori community, we hope to learn from their success, share our own experiences while identifying ways we can support each other's prosperity," Mr Ruri said.
Over the past two decades the Māori corporate sector has expanded rapidly. Māori organisations now manage large investment portfolios across the country, reflecting the growing scale of the Māori economy.
According to the most recent analysis, Māori corporations generate an estimated $68.7 billion in annual economic activity, compared with approximately $16 billion generated by Indigenous economic activity in Australia.
During the visit, Whadjuk delegates will participate in presentations and site visits designed to provide insight into the commercial and governance structures underpinning Tainui Iwi economic strategy.
The itinerary includes governance briefings on Tainui Iwi settlement arrangements and economic development planning, as well as tours of major commercial assets managed by Tainui Group Holdings. These include hotels, central business district developments and large-scale retail and logistics projects such as the Ruakura development and the Te Awa - The Base retail precinct.
Delegates will also attend engagements at Turangawaewae Marae and visit Rangiriri, where historical briefings will explore the establishment of the Kiingitanga movement and the history of Māori resistance during the colonial period.
Later in the visit, the delegation will travel to Christchurch to meet with leaders of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, where presentations will focus on the iwi's investment strategy, tourism enterprises and freshwater settlement arrangements. Delegates will also visit tourism operations in Queenstown to examine Indigenous-owned tourism assets and commercial partnerships.
The exchange reflects growing interest in commercial partnerships between Māori corporations and Aboriginal businesses in Australia.
The Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2021 as part of the South West Native Title Settlement between the Noongar people and the Western Australian government. The corporation's mandate includes supporting the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the Whadjuk Noongar community.
"While we may be separated by borders, we share common histories, values and aspirations for our people," Mr Ruri said.
"But this visit goes beyond business and cultural exchange - it's about building relationships between sovereign First Nations and sharing strategies that empower our communities and grow First Nations economies."
