Safety, sovereignty, regeneration: Kono’s Rachel Taulelei on Māori business, post-Covid

Business after Covid: In the first of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world which will rise after Covid-19, Rachel Taulelei of food and beverage business Kono looks forward to a renewed commitment to kaitiakitanga. Mate atu he tētēkura, ka whakaeke mai he tētēkura As one frond perishes another grows in its place. Having … Read more

A tale of tū cities: The role of Māori thinking in shaping our urban future

In her ceremonial inaugural lecture ‘Whakawhanaketanga toitū: A tale of tū cities’, University of Otago Professor Michelle Thompson-Fawcett (Ngāti Whātua) examined the concepts of “identity in place” and mapped how these ideas have shaped her career.  The concept of ‘whakawhanaketanga toitū’ is the notion of developing and improving our activities and lives in a way that is sustainable. ‘Sustainable development’ … Read more

The social enterprise sector comes of age

From businesses doing good to charities running businesses and everything in between, social enterprise as an industry is growing up and holding its first national conference. In 1942 the New Zealand poet Allen Curnow wrote: “Simply by sailing in a new direction, you could enlarge the world.” He was talking about the first European explorers … Read more

Parakore: how Māori business is embracing the zero waste movement

Our landfills are approaching capacity and our country is lacking the necessary infrastructure to support reuse, recycle and composting programmes. Two Māori businesses are helping create waste solutions by championing product stewardship.  Whether you are reading this from your computer at your desk, or your phone on-the-go, stop and look around your immediate space. What … Read more

Matakana Island visitors are being disrespectful and dangerous. Māori have every right to protest.

Blockades barring people from using a wharf on Matakana Island in the Western Bay of Plenty have drawn the ire of visitors and tourist operations, with some accusing local hapū of “taking the law into their own hands.” Tauranga Moana local Graham Cameron defends their kaitiakitanga and challenges views on land use and ownership. I … Read more