Te Pati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says government processes and procedures are hindering Māori businesses' ability to trade. Photo / Angus Dollieber, RNZ
Trade experts say it is unclear what problem Te Pati Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi is trying to solve by insisting that Māori have their own trade deals. .
Waititi raised the issue during the interview.
On Monday's RNZ Morning Report.
“This is Tino Rangatiratanga. It's about being able to manage your own affairs. It's about being able to make your own trade deals. It's about not paying fees to councils that continue to ignore Māori land ownership. “It gave us the ability to take control of our own situation,” he said.
“Even before the King assumed ownership of this country and took over its sovereignty, we were trading with the world…
“We should be free to trade as we please.”
When asked what was holding Māori businesses back, Mr Waititi said government regulations and procedures.
John Ballingall, from economic consultancy Sense Partners, said other countries' process standards, typically around product safety, for example, could be “sometimes too demanding” for New Zealand exporters.
He pointed out that Māori businesses seeking to enter the market face the same rules as non-Māori businesses.
Mr Ballingal, who has worked with trade advocacy company Te Taumata, recognized there was room for the government to do more to support Māori businesses.
But he pointed out that recent trade agreements, including those New Zealand has with the UK and the European Union, include chapters aimed at raising the profile of Māori exporters.
It also provides an avenue for Māori businesses to develop relationships with indigenous peoples, including through specific trade missions organized by Māori businesses.
Mr Ballingal said that over the past decade, successive governments have emphasized the need for greater engagement with Māori businesses to ensure that it is not just the usual suspects such as Fonterra and Zespri that are consulted on trade policy. He said that he has become aware of this.
“The Māori economy, made up of individuals, small businesses, iwi businesses, trusts and post-settlement entities, is growing faster than other countries,” the Treasury said in a press conference with the new finance minister. Stated. The economy has grown, and in 2018 it accounted for 6.8 percent of the country's GDP. ”
Treasury says Māori exporters have benefited on the one hand from rising global commodity prices, but on the other hand tourism businesses have been hit by the pandemic and land-based primary industries are affected by climate change-related impacts. He said it was affected by bad weather.
“Although Māori are gaining qualifications at a faster rate than the population as a whole and the proportion of Māori in higher-skilled employment is increasing, educational attainment indicators continue to lag behind the general population. No,” the Ministry of Finance said.
“Māori home ownership rates are also lower than average, and this, combined with differences in how lenders treat Māori communal land, makes it more difficult for Māori businesses to obtain financing for business development.”
Mr Ballingal believed Māori businesses had a great story to tell in terms of their values and cultural underpinnings, including their attachment to the land.
This can help differentiate you from your competitors on the world stage.
“The important thing is to make sure they have the funding to go offshore and tell that story,” Ballingal said.
“We don't need another trade deal to do that.”
Gene Tibshleny is herald's Wellington Business Editor, based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. She specializes in government and Reserve Bank policymaking, economics and banking.
