Rise 2025 Indigenous Coaching & Development Program

  • Te Ururoa Flavell
Maori Development

Acknowledgements

  • Linda Grennell, MWDI Chair
  • Areta Koopu, Previous Chair
  • Teresa Tepania Ashton, CEO
  • Rachel Petero, #Rise 2025 Founder
     
  • Teresa [Te Pania-Ashton] thank you for the introduction

Key messages:

  • Māori contribution to the Economy
  • The importance of coaching and governance
  • And how wāhine Māori help individuals and our whānau to develop

Today we are here to acknowledge the first 14 wāhine Māori to embark upon the # Rise 2025 Indigenous Coaching and Development Programme supported by MWDI.  This global coaching certification aims to deploy these certified coaches to work with MWDI clients.  Congratulations to MWDI which has partnered with RP Enterprise to launch this programme specifically for  indigenous women to build leadership potential in business within whānau hapū, iwi and the community.

This stellar programme is part of a global vision and 10 year strategic journey of global indigenous economic and social development to positively impact 100,000 plus indigenous women and girls by 2025.  It contributes to our bigger picture of Māori development to grow a more productive, innovative and internationally connected Māori economic sector.

The Economy

The New Zealand economy is worth about $241 billion dollars, while the Māori economy contributes about $42 billion.  Māori and iwi increasingly contribute and play a key role in the nation’s economy. Over the last 100 years the Māori economy and asset base has grown significantly.  It covers a range of assets including fishing, forestry, sheep and beef, dairy production and kiwifruit. 

ANZ Bank’s 2015 Māori business report [ANZ Privately-Owned Business Barometer] found Māori businesses were positive about the next three years.  It found Māori businesses were recording slight increases in profits compared to non-Māori companies.  The Barometer reported 54 % for Māori compared to 46% for non-Māori firms in the past 12 months to July.

There is enormous potential to continue growing a more productive, innovative and internationally connected Māori economic sector that is Māori led and Crown enabled.

Reflection on Māori Women’s Contribution

  • Research has shown that Māori women spend more time caring for others in their household and do more voluntary and community work than women from other ethnic groups.
  • Māori women are the driving force behind te kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori and other Māori development initiatives.
  • They have actively contributed to growth and expansion of programmes and services for whānau, hapū and iwi. Often this work has been unpaid.
  • Economic position is a key determinant of health and other social outcomes.
  • The success of Māori women in this area will have positive downstream impacts on their whānau, in other dimensions of their lives and New Zealand society as a whole.

The Art of Coaching

New Zealand's population is aging, however the Māori population is relatively young.  The relatively young age of the Māori population means we will continue to make up a significant proportion of the school population in the future. The transition to post-compulsory education and training is critical to Māori women's employment and income.

The most significant contribution to Māori economic development over the next 20 years is likely to come from improving the skills and participation of Māori. Coaching is integral in aiding the transition from education to employment.  Most importantly it aids Māori career progression from low to high income roles, middle management and self-employment.

Contribution of MWDI to Māori/Whānau Enterprise

The Māori Women’s Development Inc (MWDI) was established in 1987 to encourage the economic development of Māori women and their whānau and ultimately ensure that Māori contribute equitably to this nation’s cultural, economic, social and political achievements.

Dame June Mariu’s (Trustee of MWDI) was nominated as a Local Hero for the Kiwibank New-Zealander of the Year awards.  A key goal of MWDI is to increase the number of self-employed wāhine Māori in Aotearoa. We know from statistics that self-employed Māori earn more than salary and wage earners.  So supporting self-employment will help lift standards of living for whānau.

MWDI has three key initiatives under its “He Oranga” training programmes.

These include:

  • Financial Literacy in partnership with Massey University's Financial Education Centre
  • Mai Biz - Our Accelerator Business Programme delivered in Schools and with Adults delivered by the team from Vision Training Ltd
  • Kiwa Slam - Digital communication development delivered in partnership with Kiwa Digital.
  • #Rise 2025 Coaching and Development Program is a valuable addition to your arsenal of initiatives that highlight the potential of wāhine Māori and their significant contributions to business and entrepreneurship.

Government initiatives to help Māori

We all need to take responsibility for our future.

Government is doing this through various strategies:

Te Ture Whenua

  • The governance, management and the development of Māori land can have multiple drivers. 
  • To make all of these things easier for Māori land owners we are currently reforming Te Ture Whenua Māori.  This is the piece of legislation which oversees Māori land ownership and use. 

Māori Innovation Fund

  • We’ve got a Māori Innovation Fund which helps unlock some of the potential of Māori assets. It also addresses the very thing we are at this conference for, using governance to drive growth.
  • In April I confirmed that 41 Māori collectives will receive funding from Te Pūnaha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund’s Commercial Advisors Scheme.
  • A large number of proposals came from collectives planning to develop their land and fisheries assets, or property and tourism initiatives.

Recent Visit to China

I have just returned from leading a delegation of Māori businesses to China.  The delegation represented assets with huge potential and countless generations of Māori people.

Our strong tradition of kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whakapapa (relationships) and whānau (family) – combined with our advanced technologies for processing and exporting, gives us our gives our companies their competitive edge.  With all of this success, government is taking notice and bringing more to the table.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is committing an extra $1.6 million to support Māori businesses wanting to grow internationally.  As a result of NZTE’s increased commitment, five new positions dedicated to Māori business will be created across the NZTE network over the next 6-12 months. 

This will increase the number of New Zealand based customer managers from three to five.  It will create a new Business Development Manager in China, focused on growing Māori businesses. 

My ambition is for international growth to also provide employment within our regions.  And it’s important to acknowledge MWDI, which has helped many whānau is also focussed on developments within our regions.

Closing Statement

To the first intake today I wish you well on your journey and look forward to being invited back for your graduation!

To the MWDI, thank you for continuing to support and nurture Māori women to realise their innate talents and skills.  This potential will be a valuable contribution here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and with indigenous girls and women across the globe!  

Congratulations to you all.