Rotorua Cafe Rumaki Leads New Kaupapa Māori Zero-Interest Lending Model

A Rotorua-based business dedicated to language revitalisation is breaking new ground in the Māori economy. Rumaki Cafe has become the first pakihi Māori to seek capital through Te Whare Manaaki, a novel peer-to-peer lending platform. The cafe is seeking $15,000 to further its mission of creating a fully immersive te reo Māori environment where customers can order coffee and kai in the indigenous language. Developed by IndigiShare, Te Whare Manaaki connects Māori enterprises with whānau, hapū, iwi, and trusts looking to invest in Māori-led aspirations. Unlike traditional crowdfunding, the initiative utilizes a zero-interest repayable lending model. Once a business reaches its funding target, the pledged pūtea is provided as a loan. As the business repays the funds, investors have the option to withdraw their money or reinvest it into another Māori enterprise, creating a sustainable cycle of community-backed capital. IndigiShare Chief Executive Maria Ngawati stated that this milestone represents an opportunity to rethink how Māori businesses access capital. She noted that the model allows Māori communities to directly support the growth of pakihi they believe in, bypassing conventional lending hurdles that many Māori entrepreneurs face. The initiative is currently being piloted through the Financial Markets Authority Regulatory Sandbox to refine the model within a controlled setting. Rumaki Cafe has already demonstrated significant community support, having secured $118,000 in investment and $28,000 in donations. By combining commerce with cultural outcomes, the cafe serves as a practical hub for language revitalisation. According to Waatea News, this pilot marks a significant test of whether collective Māori investment can create a self-sustaining ecosystem for generations of future entrepreneurs.