Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Item 4: Discussion on the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum
Greetings Chair,
Chair,
The New Zealand Government supports the economic development of Māori as part of its overall strategy to enhance economic growth in New Zealand and improve opportunities for all.
The contribution of Māori to New Zealand’s overall economic growth is significant and increasing:
• This contribution grew from NZ$17 billion in 2018 to NZ$32 billion in 2023.
• The Māori asset base had grown from NZ$69 billion in 2018 to NZ$126 billion in 2023.
• The nature of this contribution is changing too. In 2018, agriculture, forestry, and fishing were the primary contributors. Now, professional, scientific and technical services dominate.
• and 46% of Māori now hold highly-skilled jobs compared to 37% in 2018.
• Importantly and impressively, Māori women generated NZ$5.9 billion value add to all economic sectors in 2022. When we also consider unpaid work, the size of the Māori women’s economy is $NZ12.5 billion.
With a young and growing population that is increasingly well educated, the Māori economy holds great potential for the future. New Zealand has recently released an ambitious framework to boost Māori economic development. The ‘Going for Growth with Māori: Tōnui Māori’ framework has three main strands: increasing infrastructure investment; accelerating exports; and unlocking the potential of Māori land. This framework is intended to help address barriers to further growth such as an infrastructure deficit and unproductive land laws.
Examples of work under this framework include investment in the Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation to explore the potential of a large-scale solar farm, capable of supplying over 8,500 homes. Additionally, consultation is under way remove legislative barriers to the effective economic utilisation of Māori Land by its owners.
Chair,
New Zealand has long been committed to supporting Māori economic development. It is an important investment in the future generations of Māori and the future generations of all New Zealanders.
I thank you.