The Māori economy is going to see a new boost with the help of the government, which, according to Māori Development Minsiter Tama Potaka, will create jobs and boost incomes.
Going for Growth with Māori | Tōnui Māori is the new framework released on Tuesday by the government to help the Māori economic growth plan.
“Ko te āta tautoko i ngā ohu Māori me ngā āhuatanga o te ōhanga Māori, kia tupu, kia puāwai, kia tōnui hoki te anga whakamua,” Potaka told Te Ao Māori News.
“Kei te kāwanatanga te mana whakahaere mō te oranga Māori? Kao, kei te kāhui whānau, kei te kāhui hapū, kei te kāhui iwi, kei te kāhui hui ohu Māori hoki ka whakarea ake te ōhanga Māori.
“I te mea, kei a rātou hoki te mana whakahaere i ngā pākihi me ērā āhuatanga, mā mātou te kāwanatanga e tautoko i tērā āhuatanga me te whiriwhiri hoki i ngā mahi ka taea hoki te mahi tahi, pērā i te infrastructure.”
In an earlier statement, the framework consisted of three main prongs:
- Increasing targeted infrastructure investment to drive employment and sustainable growth: “Hei tauira, ko te whakapaunga pūtea ki te kaporeihana o Parininihi ki Waiotōtara ki te whakatere ake i ngā mahi tūhura i te pitomata o te pāmu kōmaru nui tonu, e āhei ana ki te whāngai hihiko ki ngā kāinga neke atu i te 8,500. Me te mahi tahi o nā noa nei i waenga i ngā manukura o te Kāwanatanga me te iwi Māori ki te Hui Taumata mō te Whakapaunga Pūtea Hanganga.”
- Accelerating Māori business exports: “Hei tauira, ko te whakaritenga o te ara hei āhukahuka i te mātauranga o neherā ki te pūnaha IP hei whakamarumaru i ngā tūāhuatanga ahurei me ngā motika rawa o te Māori.”
- Unlocking the growth potential of whenua Māori: “Hei tauira, ko ngā whakatikatika i arotahitia ki Te Ture Whenua Māori 1993 ki te whakangāwari i ngā hātepe me ngā tukanga whai pānga, te whakatenatena i ngā arawātea whakawhanake, me te whakamarino i ngā wai karekare o te hunga kātipa.”
This has gotten the support of both NZ First and the Act Party, according to Potaka.
“Te kāwanatanga Haumi me ngā pāti e toru o te kāwanatanga Haumi e tino tautoko ana te anga whakamua me te mōhio hoki, nei, ka puawai mai te ōhanga Māori, ā, ka ora ake Aotearoa [i] tēnei rei.
“Tēnei pepa i tautoko te pāti pāpura, te pāti matua Rewi Seymour i tēnei kaupapa me te whakatupu i te ōhanga Māori ki te whakatupu pai te ōhanga Māori, ā, ka tupu pai te ōhanga o Aotearoa.”
In 2018, the Māori contribution to the overall community was $17 billion in GDP, and it saw significant growth over five years, reaching $32 billion in 2023.
“Heoi anō, nā te korenga o ētahi o ngā āhuatanga hanganga e tika ana, mai i ngā tauārai aukati pūtea tatū atu ki ngā ture whenua hua kore, kei te raru tonu, kei te raru tonu,” Potaka wrote in the announcement.
“Hei whakatikatika i tēnei, ka mahi tahi mātou puta noa i te Kāwanatanga me te tūhonohono ki kaupapa whānui a te Kāwanatanga Going for Growth.”
Potaka is encouraging Māori landowners, whānau, hapū and iwi to provide feedback on the proposed changes to Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993.
“He nui ngā wā kāore i kaha te whakamahia o te whenua Māori, nō reira ko tō mātou koronga kia pai, kia kakama ake te whakahaere, kia ngāwari ake hoki te whakatere, me te whai kia whakakorea ngā tauārai ā-ture ki te whakawhanaketanga ā-ōhanga.”
