Te Arawhiti

Te Arawhiti ("The Bridge"), also called the Office for Māori Crown Relations, is a public service departmental agency in New Zealand. Established in 2018 by the 52nd New Zealand Parliament, it oversees the government's work with Māori as part of the Crown-Māori relations portfolio. Its creation included consolidating several existing government units and offices into the agency, including the Crown/Māori Relations Unit, the Office of Treaty Settlements, Takutai Moana Team and the Settlement Commitments Unit.

History
The portfolio mandate was established after a public engagement process in 2018 led by the former Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, Kelvin Davis where twenty hui (meetings) around New Zealand were held, attended by 1600 people, and 227 written or online submissions were received.

In late May 2024, 1 News reported that Te Arawhiti had overspent its budget, with expenses rising to NZ$30 million. While the previous Labour Government had allocated the agency NZ$12 million in 2023, this was not enough to cover its operating expenses including fees for settling Treaty of Waitangi claims. As a result, 200 claimants including the Ngātiwai groups were facing uncertainty in having their claims settled.