A guide for your Board · 7 October 2026
Marae Business Case checklist
A Business Case helps your Board decide whether a priority project should proceed, which option to choose and how to deliver it.
Use this checklist to gather what you already know. You can start in a document or notebook; you do not need Funding Ready.
Before you begin
Gather your marae’s name, hapū and iwi, rohe, facilities and governance details. Add the priority, why now and a rough cost if known.
Keep a source beside each figure or claim. Write “not yet known” rather than filling a gap with a guess.
Keep sensitive documents with your marae’s authorised people. Agree who may review or share the work; this guide asks for no uploads.
Case 1 of 5
Strategic case
Why does your marae need this project?
Start with the priority your marae has chosen, rather than the funding round you hope to enter. Explain who benefits and why now.
- Describe the current situation and what needs to change. Include relevant photos, reports or hui feedback where you have permission.
- Record the outcomes your marae wants, including cultural, community and environmental outcomes.
- Explain what happens if the project does not proceed. Keep your marae’s kaupapa in your own words.
Case 2 of 5
Economic case
Which option offers the best overall value?
Compare realistic ways to meet the need. The cheapest option is not necessarily the best when ongoing costs and community outcomes differ.
- Include doing the minimum, upgrading or replacing where those options make sense. Explain why any option is not practical.
- Compare each option’s benefits, costs, risks and trade-offs. Do not invent dollar values for outcomes you cannot reliably price.
- Name your preferred option and explain the choice. Record assumptions that need checking before your Board makes a decision.
Case 3 of 5
Commercial case
How will your marae obtain the work?
Show how the project could be purchased and delivered on workable terms. A rough quote helps, but it is not a contract.
- Describe the proposed scope. Gather dated quotes and note inclusions, exclusions, GST treatment and how long each quote remains valid.
- Explain how you will select suitable suppliers and compare offers fairly. Record who will manage the contract.
- Identify permissions, consents and specialist advice to investigate. Do not describe a consent as approved unless it is.
Case 4 of 5
Financial case
Can your marae afford the project and its ongoing care?
Separate the cost to build from the cost to operate, maintain and eventually replace. Make the funding gap visible.
- List estimated project costs, the source and date of each estimate, and a contingency appropriate to the uncertainty.
- Include ongoing bills, maintenance and replacement needs. Record who will meet those costs and when payments are expected.
- Separate confirmed funding from requested or possible funding. Record your marae’s contribution and the amount still needed.
Case 5 of 5
Management case
Who will carry the project through?
A delivery plan should show who is accountable, what happens next and how your Board will know the project is on track.
- Name the proposed project lead, decision-makers and delegated authority. Confirm people’s roles with them before recording a commitment.
- Set realistic milestones and dependencies. List key risks, how they will be managed and who will report to your Board.
- Explain how you will measure the outcomes and who will care for the finished asset. Identify gaps in capacity or specialist advice.
Take the gaps to your Board
Review the preferred option, budget, risks and missing evidence together. Record the decision, any conditions and the next person responsible.
A complete checklist is not funding approval or permission to start construction. Check each funder’s current eligibility, evidence and application requirements separately.
Obtain technical, financial or legal advice where needed. Your marae retains authority over its kaupapa and decisions.
Where this checklist comes from
Treasury’s Better Business Cases guidance asks five questions: need, value for money, commercial viability, affordability and achievability.
This checklist adapts those questions for marae project planning. The practical examples are ours, not a Treasury-mandated list for marae.
The guidance concerns government investment decisions. It does not mean every marae funding application requires a five-case Business Case.
What Funding Ready is building
The planned builder will draft your Business Case using AI. Your marae will edit and approve every word.
See the planned offer and price, or read how the profiles and first case will work. There is no checkout or project creation yet.
Funding Ready’s site and business operations are built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp.