Kāinga Ora Spent More Than $200,000 on Koha Between 2019-2021
January 5, 2023
Giving a koha is the MÄori custom of showing appreciation and fostering social relationships via a gift to people who have usually shown hospitality or performed a ceremonial role. In 2022, this tends to be in the form of a monetary contribution.
It has become more common in recent years for government departments to give koha when they interact with marae or have someone perform a ceremonial role. Policies relating to koha vary across departments and agencies as does the degree to which koha are recorded and reported in Annual Reviews.
Of those agencies that did report comprehensive information about koha in their Annual Reviews, most had spent less than $10,000 in the financial year 2020/21. There were two significant exceptions - the Department of Conservation who spent $50,557.00 and Kainga Ora who spent $123,377.00.
If the year prior is included, between 2019 and 2021 Kainga Ora spent $204,897.00 on customary monetary gifts, many at $1,500-2,000 a pop.