Deloitte - Māori language and culture set Auckland apart from other world cities

A new report from Deloitte, comparing Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, to its international counterparts like Brisbane, Tel Aviv and Austin (Texas) says Auckland should promote its Māori culture and heritage further to create a unique and distinct identity on the world stage.

The report’s second stage also advocates for more Māori representation within industries like hi-tech.

Deloitte’s partner and consultant Anthony Ruakere is a part of the research team and says Auckland should promote Māori language and culture as it’s an integral part of the make-up of Tāmaki Makaurau.

“The proportion of indigenous people living in Auckland, relative to the other cities in the world, puts us in the top five. So we have a really big footprint of indigeneity relative to other cities,” he says.

Orakei Marae on Bastion Point overlooking the Waitemata Harbour,

The report, The State of the City, shows comparisons and differences between Auckland and other major cities around the world.

‘Standout difference’

The report compares issues faced globally such as prosperity, innovation, opportunity, culture and experience.

Ruakere says it shows Māori culture is a standout difference for all visitors from near and far.

“Visitors coming to Auckland say the culture and heritage element in Auckland is the third most important asset of the city. Aucklanders on the other hand think that culture and heritage is not even in the top 10 major assets in the city.”

Despite the Government’s current policies, like the order to put English names first on government departments, Māori culture is still being promoted right across the world.

“Te Ao Māori has in my view an incredibly untapped capacity to lift performance, to enhance performance. If it can do that on the sporting field, then there is no reason to suggest that it can’t do that in an economic sense for Auckland.”

‘Enhance the city’s performance’

However, Ruakere says Auckland should not settle for just more Māori language and culture. It needs to push beyond that.

“We need to go further, we need to bring Māori out into spaces that we haven’t been into as I referred to earlier. That’s another way for us to elevate our culture such that it improves the outcomes for everybody and enhances the city’s performance.”

This is a three-part research study, with the last part, data collection and comparison, being released next year with high hopes that te ao Māori will provide a rewarding new life for Auckland.