Wellington waterfront Māori kai cafe changes management
Thursday, 7 May 2026
The capital’s premier Māori cafe is now being managed in-house by the function centre it resides in.
Karaka Cafe has been run by the Wharewaka o Pōneke Charitable Trust since April, after previously being managed by Manaaki Management Ltd.
The eatery is known for its Māori and Pasifika cuisine, and has a bilingual English and Te Reo menu. It is located inside Te Wharewaka o Pōneke, the waterfront-adjacent function centre also known as Te Raukura (the white feather).
Manaaki Management had an application for liquidation filed against it last year from Inland Revenue, but owner Paul Retimanu says it had nothing to do with the cafe’s management changing hands.
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He said Manaaki Management was not going to be liquidated. “It just doesn't have a home now, so it's sort of hibernating.” The company was still registered on the Companies Office website.
Retimanu said Karaka Cafe had been functioning well under Manaaki Management, which had also held the licence to run Te Wharewaka’s conference business.
“The cafe was going fine. That was able to wash its face.”
However, the conference business had required a licence fee to be paid, which had been costly, he said.
Ultimately the trust did not renew Manaaki Management’s licence to run its conference centre, and did not renew the lease for Karaka Cafe in February.
Karaka Cafe then changed hands at the end of March.
“The trust are running it themselves … It looks great.”
The function centre is run by the Wharewaka o Pōneke Charitable Trust, and was built in partnership with Wellington City Council to provide an active mana whenua presence in Wellington Harbour.
The trust comprises the Wellington Tenths Trust, the Palmerston North Reserve, the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust and Wellington City Council.
Te Wharewaka chair Liz Mellish confirmed the management of Te Wharewaka’s venue and hospitality ventures had been moved to the trust.
She said the trust was looking to lift the profile of mana whenua, and go from being passive landlords to active participants in their businesses.
“We want to ensure that our story is told authentically and based on our values.”
The function centre had many uses, and had been designed to celebrate mana whenua, Mellish said.
“Our tīpuna signed the treaty. We did the deal with the New Zealand Company. We've always been there.”
When asked whether Manaaki Management having liquidation proceedings filed against it had influenced Karaka Cafe’s lease not being renewed, Mellish said that had “of course” impacted the trust’s thinking.
The trust had nearly 8000 beneficiaries which it had a fiduciary duty to, she said.