MĀORI TEAM AWARDED GRAND PRIZE AT GLOBAL PHILANTHROPIC CAMPAIGN

The Māori family-owned company 'Māui Energy' has been announced as the winner of the ‘Taiwan Excellence: Sharing is Caring’ campaign, a global campaign which aims to promote sustainability and community wellbeing using innovative products endorsed by Taiwan Excellence Awards.  The campaign received 781 robust proposals from 61 nations. There were three winners; Philippines, New Zealand and Taiwan. The other finalists were from Vietnam, Israel, Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, and USA. 

Māui Energy won against the remaining finalists with their proposal 'Solar Solutions for Indigenous Māori Communities'.  As the winners of the campaign, Māui Energy will be funded an initial $10,000USD and a further $150,000USD to implement their ideas. Their proposal focuses on solar energy solutions that could deliver environmental, economic and social benefits addressing inequities such as energy and financial hardship faced by Māori communities.

They are looking to start with a pilot programme and provide free electricity to two Marae. If successful, this model could be scaled up to other indigenous communities throughout New Zealand and abroad, including Taiwan, the ancestral homeland of Māori people. A short video presentation of the proposal can be viewed at the campaign’s official website.

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