Boost for wha¯nau businesses

With a ka¯nuka nursery on the backburner and handmade preserves stuck on the shelves, a $2 million fund to help wha¯ nau businesses recover postpandemic could be a lifeline for Marlborough producers.

A ‘‘quick injection of funding’’ from Te Pu¯ tahitanga o Te Waipounamu, an agency supporting South Island iwi, aims to help wha¯ nau-led businesses adapt to the challenges of Covid-19.

The Manaaki20 Fund would make grants focused on ‘‘wha¯ nau resilience and wellbeing’’, but prioritise those at risk of being unable to continue, or not eligible for other forms of support.

One Marlborough business intending to apply coincidentally shares its name with the fund, preserves business Manaaki.

Donna Nepia of Manaaki said the priority was to keep their five kaimahi (workers), and help the business adapt and diversify in a post-pandemic economy.

Manaaki produced handmade preserves and condiments – an infusion of modern cuisine and Ma¯ori ingredients – trading online and to retailers and cafes.

‘‘We came out of lockdown and have lost three major customers which were pretty much our bread and butter,’’ Nepia said.

Blenheim-based Lee Mason coowns Kumuhore Kanuka, a business that extracts ka¯ nuka to produce honey, tea and essential oil. He will also apply for a grant.

‘‘Even though it was only two months of lockdown, it’s sort of equated to eight months really. We only pick on the full moon.’’

Te Pu¯ tahitanga o Te Waipounamu chief executive Helen Leahy said about 70 per cent of the entities they supported across the South Island had been impacted financially by coronavirus.