Symposium focuses on economic collaborations

The Iwi Asset Holdings Symposium as part of the National Iwi Chairs Forum hui was hosted by the eighth Taranaki Iwi. Photo / Supplied

We are in Taranaki, New Plymouth, for the Iwi Asset Holdings Symposium as part of the National Iwi Chairs Forum hui hosted by the eighth Taranaki Iwi under the maru of Te Maunga Taranaki.

The kaupapa of the day is how Iwi are managing economically during Covid and how we can share experiences, opportunities and even our failures with each other to give confidence and inspiration to each other.

There was more than $3 billion worth of assets and capital in attendance today, looking at how we can collectively use our economic collaborations for economic scale.

A vast array of topics was traversed including injury and death to Māori in the workplace as we undertake the most dangerous and hazardous jobs. It was reported that $2.6b is lost due to workplace injuries, mainly to Māori.

We also heard from Vangelis Vitalis, Deputy Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade who urged Iwi and Māori to concentrate on export potential as this had the capacity to uplift a company's performance by up to 32 per cent by going direct to the export market.

The big hitters of Parininihi ki Waitotara Inc explained their multibillion-dollar business model and were willing to share their intellectual property with other Iwi and Māori organisations. A SME – medium-sized enterprise, Māori presenter, showed how from a small fledgling organisation dealing in smoothies with the infusion of Māori ingredients such as kumara, puha and kawakawa are now on a supermarket shelf near you and they procure their products mainly from Māori sources.

A further presentation showed how Taranaki Iwi are combining to takeover iconic tourism operations such as the New Plymouth Airport, the Ngāti Ruanui Stratford Mountain House and they collectively own a major interest in the Novotel hotel where our hui is being hosted. Their housing initiatives including finance savings, financing and providing land for housing for their whānau is impressive in its detail and also a model to be shared. Furthermore, presentations were made by Mahaki and Kahungunu on whānau housing.

The whole Taranaki economic revival is against a backdrop of land confiscation. Their tipuna being locked in caves down in Otago and against pillage and plunder by colonial forces, yet their presentations were full of optimism and positivity.

At the end of the hui it was agreed that Iwi would collectivise to pursue housing regionally and nationally on some of the options presented and that Kahungunu would host the first hui on December 9. Furthermore, it was agreed to support the agenda of the Government and its new Cabinet, particularly with the highly weighted Māori and Pacific membership and we will be leading and supporting government initiatives in areas of housing, government contract procurement, social procurement as promoted by Minister Mahuta previously, who now has the added mana of Foreign Affairs & Trade which was the main theme of today's hui.

It was also agreed that the Cabinet makeup was an inspired choice and that the Iwi Chairs Forum are keen to advance initiatives beneficial for whānau, hapū, iwi and government outcomes. Minister Kelvin Davis, Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Minister Meka Whaitiri have all been regular attendees at the National Iwi Chairs Forum.

Taranaki maunga, Taranaki mana, Taranaki tangata, ka rere tonu ngā mihi,

Tihei Aotea waka.