The institute was established under the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963, but, as mentioned previously, it has a much longer history spanning back 93 or so years since 1926. Today represents a significant milestone to resolve a longstanding aspiration amongst the people of Te Arawa. The Crown, along with the Whakarewarewa joint trust, initialled a vesting agreement on 1 June 2017. The agreement was signed on 4 August that year. Today is the next step in the process of returning Te Puia to iwi at this third reading.