For marae, hapū and Māori trusts
Your marae or trust, run with confidence. Your whānau, kept in the loop.
A 30-day programme that puts your policies, your website and a simple committee dashboard in place, and shows your people how to run them. We start where you are today. There is no judgment, and everything we build stays with you.
The free check takes about 5 minutes.
Did you know?
30+ Acts and regulations can apply to a marae, before you count your council's rules.
Fire evacuation, food, privacy, alcohol, water, building warrants, employment, charities reporting and more. Most committees only find out which ones apply when something goes wrong. How does yours stack up?
Complete the check to see the full list of laws, grouped by area, with your results.
Why this is different
Most training teaches the what and the why. We show you how.
Committees and trustees are often told what they should have in place and why it matters. Very few are shown how to do it. We walk you through the how, step by step, and leave you with the tools to keep going yourselves. It is a one-off investment that builds lasting skills, not a cost that comes back every year.
We show you
Each task demonstrated on your own policies, website and records, not a generic example.
We do it together
Your people practise every routine task with us before you go live, with a named backup for each one.
You run it
Step-by-step guides, short videos and simple forms, so the next committee can carry on without us.
What changes
Good for your committee. Good for your whānau.
The right information for the right people, decided by you. Your marae or trust chooses what is public, what is shared on request and what stays with the committee. You stay in control of your information at every step.
For your committee and trustees
- ✓Recognition. Your whānau can finally see the good work you already do.
- ✓Confidence about what is in place and what comes next.
- ✓Skills that stay with your marae, not with a consultant.
- ✓No judgment. We start where you are, not where an auditor thinks you should be.
- ✓Less time chasing, guessing and redoing.
For your whānau and members
- ✓Trust that grows because information is shared.
- ✓Openness about what is decided, who does what and where the money goes.
- ✓A clear way to reach the right person.
- ✓Easy booking for hui, wānanga and celebrations.
- ✓A way back in. Events, pānui and ways to help, in one place.
What your marae has after 30 days
Working systems, not another folder on a shelf.
For whānau and visitors
Your own marae website
Facility hire, events, pānui, policies and contacts in one place. It works on any phone, and your committee updates it through simple forms, with no logins or technical skills.
For hirers and the booking contact
Bookings without the double-ups
Hirers see which nights are free, what is included and the rates, then send an enquiry. Your booking contact confirms each one, and a tangihanga always takes priority.
For whānau and members
You decide what is shared, and how
Your trustees choose which policies appear on the website for anyone to read and download, which are shared only by the secretary on request, and which stay with the committee. Each request is recorded. You can change these choices at any time.
For the committee
Policies chosen together, one decision at a time
Up to 95 policies written for marae and checked against current law. The adoption quiz shows which ones the law requires for your marae, and your committee decides the rest: yes, no, or needs discussion.
Knowledge that stays
Two named people for every key role, record and password, and a jobs list that shows who does what.
A committee that knows how
Practical training built on real marae situations, and an adoption hui to agree your policies together.
Evidence for your funders
A completion report with your dashboard results, ready for your grant accountability report.
Your tikanga first
Your kōrero, history and tikanga shape every policy and page. They remain your taonga.
See a working example. Te Moho Marae is a fictional marae built to show every part of the programme.
Open the demo siteHow it works
From first kōrero to going live, in about six weeks.
Most of the work sits with us. Your committee makes the decisions, practises the routines and takes over a system that is already running.
- Today
Take the free check
Sixteen questions show where your marae stands across eight areas, with your top risks and the laws that can apply.
- Week 0
Kōrero and quote
We talk through your results and send a fixed quote your marae can take to a funder.
- Weeks 1 to 2
Adoption quiz
Your committee works through each policy: yes, no, or needs discussion. You decide what is public and what is shared on request.
- Weeks 3 to 5
We build it, and show you how
Your manual, website and dashboard, using your photos, history and tikanga. Your people practise each routine task with us.
- Week 6
Go live
Policies agreed at your adoption hui, website live, dashboard running and your committee trained.
- Weeks 6 to 10
Handover
Every account, guide and routine handed to your people, with 30 days of support while they settle in.
Your handover kit
Everything your people need to keep going without us.
Step-by-step guides by role
Chair, secretary, treasurer, booking contact and kaitiaki each get the routines that belong to them.
Short videos
Each routine task recorded on your own website and dashboard, so a new committee member can learn it in minutes.
Account register
Every account in your marae's name, who holds it, their backup and renewal dates.
Jobs list
Who does what, how often and how long it takes, so nothing depends on one person.
Pricing
One fixed price. Everything handed over to you.
No subscription and no ongoing contract. You receive a fixed quote before anything starts.
Marae Foundations
For marae committees and trustees.
$4,950 + GST
$5,692.50 including GST.
- ✓Foundations Check and adoption quiz
- ✓Policy manual adapted to your marae
- ✓Your marae website
- ✓Committee dashboard and update forms
- ✓Training, go-live day and adoption hui
- ✓Handover kit and 30 days of support
- ✓Completion report for your funder
Hapū Foundations
For hapū entities, often across several marae.
$4,950 to $6,950 + GST
The marae programme, adapted for a wider membership and communications across marae.
Register interestMāori Land Trust Foundations
For ahuwhenua, whānau and other Māori land trusts.
$5,950 to $7,950 + GST
Policies for land, leases, distributions and owner registers, under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and your trust order.
Register interestSmall Iwi Governance Foundations
For smaller iwi and their entities.
From $7,950 + GST
Scoped and quoted for your structure, people and obligations.
Register interestRanges depend on the size of your organisation and the number of policies and people involved.
Manaaki Tangata Marae Edition, free with Marae Foundations. Your tangihanga and hui coordination app for finances, tasks, contacts and communications, fully set up for your marae using the information gathered during the programme. The full operational build (Comprehensive), valued at $1,800.
How this compares
Free templates tell you what. This shows you how, for your marae.
Free template packs and policy subscriptions are useful, and many organisations rely on them. They are written for general not-for-profits or workplaces, and they leave the adoption, the tikanga and the follow-through to you.
| Free template packs | Policy subscription services | Governance software | Pou Foundations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written for marae and Māori trusts | No. General not-for-profit or workplace policies | Some Māori engagement content | Built for Māori entities | Yes. Written for marae, with your tikanga |
| Shows the law behind each policy | Rarely | Updated to standards and law | Not a policy library | Yes. Section references, sources and a checked date |
| Tikanga left to your people | No | No | Not covered | Yes. Kaumātua and whānau decide |
| Help to adopt it as a committee | No. You adapt it alone | Expert support on higher plans | No | Yes. Adoption quiz, go-live day and adoption hui |
| You control what is shared | Not covered | Staff access settings | User roles | Yes. You choose public, on request or committee only, policy by policy |
| Public website for whānau | No | No | No | Yes. Bookings, events, policies and contacts |
| Shows what needs attention | No | Analytics on higher plans | Actions and registers | Yes. Traffic-light dashboard |
| Your people can run it without you | You start from scratch | Depends on the subscription | Ongoing subscription | Yes. Handover kit, guides and practice |
| Cost | Free | Ongoing subscription, quoted | Yearly subscription | One-off fixed price |
Funding
Most marae fund this through a grant.
Your marae applies and names Pou as the provider. We give you a quote and a provider pack with everything a funder asks about us. We do not write applications or contact funders for you, so the decision stays with your marae.
Foundation North
Northland and Tāmaki Makaurau
Quick Response Grants up to $25,000, usually decided within about two months.
Te Puni Kōkiri
Regional groups of marae
Larger projects through an umbrella organisation. Start with your regional office.
Waikato-Tainui
Raupatu marae
Paa Whakawairua grants for marae development and strategic planning.
Your own iwi
Marae development funds
Send us the criteria and we will tell you honestly whether the programme fits.
What to prepare
- ✓Your Foundations Check results
- ✓Committee minutes approving the project
- ✓Our quote and provider pack
- ✓Your bank account details and charity or trust registration
- ✓Your most recent financial statements
Checked October 2026. Funding rounds and criteria change, so always check with the funder. This is general information, not a promise of funding. If your marae is not GST registered, ask for the full amount including GST.
About and FAQ
Who you will work with, and what committees ask.
Geneva Harrison, Pou
Ngāti Kahu and Te Rarawa, based in Peria, Taitokerau. Geneva brings qualifications and experience in law, business and social sciences, contract management, funding and operations auditing, along with iwi executive leadership.
She built this programme because marae committees told her the same thing: they are given plenty of training on what to do, and very little help with how. Every part of it is practical, built on real marae situations, and left in your hands.
Questions
How is this different from governance software?
Governance software gives your committee a tool to run. Your committee still has to set it up, write the policies and learn how to use it. This programme does that work with you: in 30 days your marae has adopted policies, a public website for whānau, a dashboard, named people for every role and a trained committee. If your marae already uses governance software, the two work well together.
Who decides what goes on the website?
You do. Your trustees decide which policies and information are public, which are shared only on request through the secretary, and which stay private to the committee. Some marae publish only a few policies. Others publish most of them. Whānau information, whakapapa and beneficiary details are never published. You can change your choices at any time.
Do we need anyone with technical skills?
No. Updates are made through simple forms, such as adding an event or recording a policy review. If you can fill in a form, you can keep the website and dashboard current.
We already have some policies. Do we start again?
No. The adoption quiz keeps what already works and fills the gaps. Your existing policies and tikanga come first.
Who owns the website and information?
Your marae does. Every account is set up in your marae's name. Your kōrero, whakapapa, history and tikanga remain your taonga, and Pou returns all access at hand-over.
Is this legal advice?
No. The policies are templates and guidance checked against current law, and your committee decides what it adopts. For specific legal matters, we recommend specialist advice.
Our marae is not GST registered. What do we ask for?
Ask your funder for the full amount including GST: $5,692.50 for one marae.
How much of our committee's time does it take?
Most of the work sits with us. Your committee completes the adoption quiz, gathers photos and history, practises the routine tasks, and comes together for go-live day and the adoption hui.
Start here
Two ways to begin. Neither costs anything.
Take the free Foundations Check
Sixteen questions across eight areas. See your results straight away, with your top three risks, what to do first and the laws that can apply to your marae.
Book a kōrero
A 30-minute conversation about where your marae or trust is and what would help. No obligation.