In 1984, Maori leaders and thinkers came together at the first Hui Taumata to share their dreams and ideas for the 20 years ahead. Last week's Hui Taumata was a celebration of what has been achieved, and a commitment to a stronger focus on economic development in the next two decades.

I attended the Hui Taumata along with the Business Roundtable chairman Rob McLeod, who is of Ngati Porou descent.

A programme of research and widespread discussion was summarised into three Stimulus Papers which provided the foundation for the exchange of ideas at the Hui. These papers and the meeting itself underlined very encouraging and forward-looking trends in Maori thinking about economic development.

There were three themes for the conference - Developing People, Developing Assets, and Developing Enterprise.

There was broad endorsement of the fact that what matters most for Maori development are the same things that matter most for the whole community: a strong economy, faster job creation, excellence in education and an end to passive welfare dependency and broken families.

Improving outcomes for Maori – as for all New Zealanders – depends ultimately on ongoing reforms of institutions and policies. A key institutional requirement for investment and growth is secure property rights. Maori and the business community have a common interest in promoting greater security of property rights in New Zealand. The foreshore and seabed debate is a property rights issue and Maori and business found themselves on the same side. New Zealand governments have often failed to respect established property rights. The Resource Management Act, electricity reforms, the Timberlands episode, and various regulatory measures affecting network industries are other cases in point.

There was also acceptance that improving Maori human capital, through workforce participation and better education, is more important than ownership of specific assets. A Stimulus Paper states: “By far the biggest earner for Maori, and the biggest contribution that Maori make to New Zealand's economy, is participation in the labour market”.

It is encouraging that the emphasis is on both education and employment, rather than education alone. While no one denies the value of education, it is not a silver bullet for either individual or national prosperity, as is sometimes implied. Education in the former Soviet Union was often of a high standard; the country had many good scientists, engineers and technicians, yet it was an economic basket case.

Participation in the labour market is vital for Maori. The Hui Taumata steering committee was correct to note in a paper for the conference that:

Since 1991 [when the labour market was freed up with the Employment Contracts Act] Maori employment has been growing fairly steadily, with many of us who had been experiencing unemployment finding jobs, and other people choosing to come back into the workforce.

Especially for those with low skills, getting a first job, even at a low wage, is enormously important as a pathway to gaining experience, work habits and higher skills. It follows that the removal of obstacles to employment wherever feasible should be a priority for Maori and non-Maori alike.

Equally encouraging was the recognition that Treaty issues, while important as matters of justice, are largely separate from economic development. Treaty settlements will result in modest wealth redistribution, not the generalised wealth creation which must form the basis of future prosperity for Maori.

There was also a recognition at the Hui that the tribulations of national and tribal politics have too often held Maori back, and that Maori economic and social development would benefit from a greater emphasis on private enterprise, individual initiative and self-determination – tino rangatiratanga. While having distinctive features, Maori business enterprise is essentially part of the wider enterprise sector – improvements in Maori business practice will be best fostered by comprehensive engagement with the wider business sector and the adoption of the most successful business models within it.

Among Maoridom, as in the wider community, there is growing awareness that success in business should be publicised and applauded. It was refreshing to see young business entrepreneurs being celebrated by their peers during the Hui.

Major challenges that need to be faced up to were identified. These include: better governance of Maori organisations, the removal of obstacles to employment, more parental choice in education, strengthening whanau, and grasping the nettle of fragmented land title – perhaps by the establishment of a highly qualified task force to report on issues and solutions.

At the end of the three-day Hui, Rob McLeod noted that it had marked a significant transformation in Maori attitudes towards business and the economy, and a general desire for more freedom and less state involvement in Maori economic and social life.

The Hui Taumata was a source of much optimism and promise. What is now needed is action along the lines that the Hui mapped out.

For more information, contact:

Roger Kerr
Executive Director
Ph: 04 499 0790
Email: rkerr@nzbr.org.nz

David Young
Communications Manager
Ph: 04 499 0790
Email: dyoung@nzbr.org.nz

Web: www.nzbr.org.nz