PURPOSE
Our vision is:
A socially cohesive Aotearoa New Zealand where:
- Te Ao Māori is strong and vibrant
- The central place of Te Ao Māori in Aotearoa is understood and supported by all
- We all feel confident and respected in our own cultures and heritage
Our name Te Muka Rau was gifted to us in 2017 and means “the many strands.” This refers to how the many strands (muka) within flax (harakeke) can be woven together to create new, strong and beautiful possibilities.
WHERE OUR FUNDS COME FROM
Our trust was set up in 2004 as Think Tank Charitable Trust by Kate Frykberg and Dave Moskovitz following the sale of their web development company, and we are slowly spending down the available funds.
We are a small trust and our annual grant budgets are usually approximately NZ100,000 per year. This is made up of:
- Drawing down our original capital base as above; this equates to approximately one half of our annual budget
- Annual donations from our partners Groundwork: Facilitating Change, who contribute approximately one third of our annual grant budget
- Annual donations from ourselves and from other regular and one-off donors
TRUSTEES
We are committed to co-leadership and to working in a way which honours te Tiriti o Waitangi. Decisions are made by our board, which consists of two Māori trustees (Seumas and Ani) and two Pākehā trustees (Kate and Dave).
Seumas Fantham
Seumas Fantham comes from Kaiti, Gisborne and has iwi affiliations to Ngāti Porou and Whakatōhea. Seumas has been working with indigenous youth in New Zealand for over 18 years. He is currently a member of the Māori Advisory Committee (MAC) and a board member of Philanthropy New Zealand. He is the Executive Director of the Todd Foundation, and also likes to keep in touch with the mahi on the ground as a volunteer for Te Ora Hou (an indigenous youth development organisation) and Special Olympics (sports programmes with people with intellectual disabilities).
Ani Morris
Ani has Iwi affiliations to Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Āti Awa, Rangitāne, Ngāti Mutunga, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tūkorehe, Tūhoe, Ngāti Pāhauwera. I pakeke mai a Ani i Te Matau a Māui, Te Papaioea me Te Awakairangi. Kei Te Whanganui a Tara rātau ko tōna whānau e noho ana.
Ani is passionate about hauora and the lifelong journey of deepening her understanding of whakapapa, recognising its connection to identity, wellbeing, and self-mastery. Her professional background spans Education, Te Ao Māori facilitation, and delivering cultural services to marae throughout Te Upoko o Te Ika, as well as supporting cultural responsiveness and awareness across central government agencies. She currently serves as a public servant.
Ani finds purpose and fulfilment in kaupapa that supports communities and contribute meaningfully to the lives of others. This commitment is reflected in her involvement with national rangatahi movements such as Tuia, Matariki, and Te Ara ki Mātangireia. Her volunteer contributions to these spaces are an important expression of service, complementing her everyday mahi in the public sector.
Ani aspires to continue growing alongside her whānau as they explore and express their unique authenticity—mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga—for themselves, their future generations, and their mokopuna.
Kate Frykberg
Kate was born and raised in Hawkes Bay and has South African, Swedish and British ancestry. She is an associate of Tūmanako Consultants, and an independent community and philanthropy consultant, and she is passionate about building an equitable and Tiriti-based Aotearoa. Her background includes co-founding one of NZ’s first Internet Development companies (with husband Dave Moskovitz), working for ten years as CE of the Todd Foundation and serving as chair of Philanthropy NZ. She is a former ASB Business Woman of the Year, holds a NZ Order of Merit for services to business and the community, and serves on several boards. For more information see Kate’s website and blog.
Dave Moskovitz
Dave works as professional director and investor, mainly with technology startups. He is involved in the Jewish community, and is a co-chair of the Wellington Abrahamic Council of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. For more information, see Dave’s website and blog.
We also gratefully acknowledge whaea Pekaira Rei, (Te Āti Awa), trustee from 2017 to 2025. Thank you for your shaping of Te Muka Rau and your guidance of us as trustees.
HOW THE TRUST IS RUN
The trust is run on a voluntary basis, although, in recognition of the time involved, trustees have a choice of either receiving a small honorarium or the option to allocate one donation of $1,000 per year to a charitable cause of their choosing.
Trustee Kate Frykberg is responsible for most of the day to day running of the trust, and is the main contact person if you want to kōrero.
We are also fortunate to receive ongoing advice, support and financial contribution from Jen Margaret, Kaihautū of Groundwork: Facilitating Change.
DONATING TO TE MUKA RAU
Te Muka Rau accepts donations from values-aligned individuals and organisations, and 100% of donations to Te Muka Rau go directly to community initiatives as grants.
If you are interested in donating to Te Muka Rau, we would love to hear from you! There is more information on our donate page, or contact us to kōrero, or simply click the donate button above.
OTHER INFORMATION
Our work fits broadly within two of the UN Sustainable Development goals:
- Goal 10: Reduced inequality
- Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Financial statements and other statutory information are available on the Charities Services register.
For more information, please contact us.