Traci Houpapa of Te Rangitukupu, the Māori Partnership Group. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Traci Houpapa of Te Rangitukupu, the Māori Partnership Group. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Holding the Indigenous to Indigenous Dialogue online highlighted the potential of technology to connect people easily and efficiently.
For the first time, this year's Apec meeting includes a focus on indigenous economies. Traci Houpapa of Te Rangitukupu, the Māori Partnership Group says it came about because New Zealand is theApec host.
"Apec gives us an opportunity to promote the partnership between Māori and government as advised by Te Tiri," says Houpapa. "This Apec event is distinguished by that commitment and by the face, voice and influence of tangata whenua or the indigenous people of an Apec economy: that hasn't happened before."
New Zealand is uniquely placed to kick-start a dialogue on indigenous economies.
Our indigenous economy is vibrant and thriving. Between 2006 and 2019 the Maori economy grew from $16.5 billion to $69b. And in its wake, it has provided jobs and opportunities for people to progress their careers. It also has a knock-on effect in the broader economy.
Across the region the opportunity is larger again. Around 70 per cent of the world's indigenous people live in Asia-Pacific. That's close to 270 million people.
Houpapa says while there are still things that need working on, in many ways New Zealand's partnership between government and Māori is the envy of other countries, governments and peoples.
"My role working alongside my co-chair Pita Tipene is to ensure that we have an Apec programme that reflects that. One that lets us show the world that the face of Apec includes Māori and indigenous people".
Among the work streams Houpapa helped organise is a project looking at economic collaboration between the various indigenous peoples of the Apec economies.
"In many ways, this simply re-establishes and reconnects Māori and other indigenous peoples across the region. Many relationships are already in place. New Zealand's Māori have close associations with Canada and Australia's First Nations. Apec provides us with another framework in which to place those partnerships and relationships. It gives life to those legacy hereditary and ancient trading routes."
The indigenous economy's place in international trade agreements was in the spotlight recently when New Zealand reached an in-principle free trade agreement with the United Kingdom. The deal includes provisions to benefit and protect Māori economic and trade interests. Māori interests worked closely with the government during the negotiations. As a result there is a priority on removing tariffs on goods associated with Māori producers as well as Māori ideas being enshrined in the agreement's environmental chapter.
Houpapa says it is an example of how we are seeing the cultural connection becoming a more prominent part of commerce.
In October, she chaired a virtual Indigenous to Indigenous Dialogue which included an opening address from Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta.
"One of the speakers had come out of the jungle with only a cell phone to talk with us from Mexico. He told us is working on empowering smaller, remote communities to develop and grow their own economies within their own families. What we would call whanau hapū. They were using their own natural resources and their own land.
"While that sounds fundamental, it is probably the most important economic building block that First Nations or indigenous peoples might have. And that's exactly the same approach that Māori have taken; protecting our lands and becoming the best landowners, land users and land managers that we can be."
Another story came from a woman working on dairy conversions and the Philippines and using technology to break down barriers.
These stories are an important part of the dialogue. They move the indigenous conversation away from a cultural focus and on to discussions about economic development, earning a commercial return on investment, using natural resources and people to build a sound business case.
There's always a danger that a programme like the indigenous events at Apec 2021 are a one-off. Houpapa says the participants are creating a framework for an indigenous Apec to operate over the longer term.
Holding the Indigenous to Indigenous Dialogue online highlighted the potential of technology to connect people easily and efficiently.
Holding the Indigenous to Indigenous Dialogue online highlighted the potential of technology to connect people easily and efficiently.
Covid forced Aotearoa to take the event online. It turned out to be a blessing. The upside is that it means more people than ever before have been able to participate.
"We saw an obvious and natural need for a digital information highway and platform between the Apec indigenous economies so that we can remain connected after this year's event.
"People from all over the region can connect with online video feeds. We've got the Apec CEO Summit coming up. And we've got people joining the Voices for the Future event."
While it may be described as a virtual event, she says it is very real. "It is hosted by a team of real people, it takes place in real time and real people talk to other real people. We're learning that online is now a natural extension."
Hosting the Apec indigenous event comes with a set of responsibilities. Not every indigenous group has the same advantages as Māori and Houpapa says the organising team has been conscious of a privileged position.
"We've had to be mindful of the barriers others face and we need to consider place and context for our brothers and sisters in the other economies.
"We open sessions with a karakia and readily use Te Reo when speaking. We've noticed others treat that with respect and we have to be careful to treat others with the same respect.
"That means understanding and recognising they are in a different context to us and have different relationships. They have their own issues and challenges."
