After more than 30 years of serving the Western Bay of Plenty, TECT Community Trust has today become Manawa Trust, marking the beginning of a new chapter for one of the region’s most significant community trusts.
Gifted by Ngāti Hangarau, the name Manawa means heart. It reflects the life force that connects people, place and future, while acknowledging the organisation's origins to Ōmanawa, where its story began.
While the name is changing, Manawa Trust’s commitment to the Western Bay of Plenty remains the same.
As an independent community trust, Manawa protects and grows a significant community fund of over $1 billion, investing its returns back into the people, places and projects that help the region thrive.
Manawa Trust Chief Executive, Wayne Werder says the new identity better reflects both the organisation’s history and the role it plays today.
“For more than 30 years we’ve invested in the communities of the Western Bay of Plenty. Our role has evolved considerably over that time, but our commitment to this region has never changed.”
“Manawa gives us a name that honours the beginning of our story, while reflecting who we are today and the responsibility we carry into the future.”
The story of Manawa Trust begins with Ōmanawa Falls, where the region's first electricity generation began, laying the foundations for both TrustPower and TECT. A place of deep significance to Ngāti Hangarau, Ōmanawa holds an important place in both the cultural and modern history of the Western Bay of Plenty.
Koro Nicholas of Ngāti Hangarau says behind this name is a deep sense of connection to who we are as people, to the land that we come from and we thrive upon, and to the connections that we can make.
“The Manawa, the heartbeat, the crux, the ethos over our work is really important for ourselves, for our families, for all the community and for the generations that are to come.”
While Manawa Trust’s role has evolved far beyond those beginnings, that connection remains at the heart of who the trust is.
Today, Manawa Trust works across the Western Bay of Plenty through community funding, partnerships and long term stewardship of the community fund.
The new identity is built around one simple idea: being the heartbeat behind a thriving Western Bay of Plenty.
Werder says becoming Manawa Trust is about much more than changing a name.
“Manawa means heart. For us, that means putting the long term wellbeing of our communities at the centre of everything we do.”
The community can discover the story behind Manawa Trust and learn more about its impact at www.manawatrust.nz
