On the 15^th November 2017, Tangata Whenua members attended a Western Bay District Council Long Term Plan workshop to discuss Marae sustainability.  One of the actions from that workshop was for Council to consider developing a toolkit to address the practicalities of administering a marae given that most marae are looked after by volunteers.

This project was lead by the Takawaenga Team who is set up to support the Western Bay of Plenty District Council in its relationship with Tangata Whenua by improving the confidence and capability for both to engage with each other in an effective and valued way.

The team serves as a conduit to enhancing relationships, and improving Māori contributions within the Local-government decision-making process, and to assist in building capacity within council at both political and staff levels.

The team provides assistance to Māori to effectively integrate their culture and Matauranga Māori into the strategic planning and policy development functions of Council, especially those policies that involve Māori.