Tēnā koutou katoa,

Nau mai, haere mai ki te Pānui o Poutama!

As 2025 comes to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on the last 12 months.  Each of us — our whānau, communities and businesses — have had to navigate a lot this year.  We encourage you to pause and acknowledge what you’ve worked through, what you’ve built, and the progress you’ve made.

For Poutama, some of the highlights include:

• Supporting nearly 100 pakihi across Aotearoa through our investment grants programme, helping businesses strengthen, grow and take their next steps.
• Engaging with more than 300 pakihi through the Regional Business Partner Programme – backing capability, confidence and long-term development.
• Backing initiatives that celebrate Māori achievement and strengthen our business ecosystem — from industry events to fashion, innovation and technology.
• Sponsoring and celebrating Māori excellence at Te Matatini, the NZ Hi-Tech Awards, MWDI Awards and KUMA Southern Māori Business Awards.

If you’re still looking for Christmas gift ideas, consider supporting Māori businesses.  In this edition, we’ve included some suggestions of where you can Buy Māori Made this holiday season.

In this pānui, we also highlight some of the pakihi, kaupapa activities and events we’re supporting, including:

• AgriSea – unveil the world’s first Commercial Seaweed Nanocellulose Biorefinery in Paeroa
• Regional Business Partner Programme – update on the RBP Innovation Services
• NZ Hi-Tech Awards – The GreenMount and Poutama Trust Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau Award

Holiday Closure – Poutama will be closed from Wednesday 24 December to Wednesday 7 January, reopening Thursday 8 January 2026.

We hope you enjoy the read.  Got thoughts, ideas, or just wanna say kia ora?  We’d love to hear from you!

👉 Drop us a line: po*****@********co.nz
👉 Stay updated: www.poutama.co.nz

Noho haumaru, kia maumahara kia atawhai ki a koe anō me ētahi atu – stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Te Whānau o Poutama