It takes little more than a moment to score a try, but it takes commitment and perseverance to become a Rugby World Cup champion. Even as a Gisborne Boy’s High School student, Hosea had a talent for doing everything out of the ordinary. While his peers were out partying on a Friday night, Hosea was out running laps around the local rugby field or training at the gym.

That meant a lot of sacrifices for Gear who says that while his social calendar was full of empty spaces, his training program was dotted with one gruelling training session after another. “I was always big on trying to be the best player out there. You don’t want to go out there and be just another player, you want to be the best.”

At sixteen years of age, Hosea had already mapped out a plan for his life and was not about to let anything get in the way of his goals. And although it got tough at times, the commitment and discipline that he learnt early paid off. “I think if there’s something you really want to be or do, you can’t let anything stop you. If I went out partying with my mates, that was going to stop me from training the next day.”

By the time Hosea burst onto the international rugby scene in 2003, he had clocked up hundreds of hours of training. That training, as well as the support of his brother Rico and parents, Annie and Riki, have put him in good stead to become one of the most deadliest finishers in the game. “My success has had a lot to do with my upbringing through my parents. From a young age, dad would get us up at six in the morning to go to trainings. That was non-negotiable so by the time I got to high school, it was normal.”

Today, almost seven years later, Hosea is a man going places. Some of his notable career achievements to date include scoring 14 tries for the Wellington Lions in 2008, making him the Air New Zealand Cup’s top try scorer. He has played for the New Zealand Mäori Rugby team since 2004, has represented New Zealand Under-21’s and has over 50 Super 12/14 caps with the Hurricanes. With his All Black selection in 2004, Hosea became a household name – and made it a family double with his brother Rico who also wore the All Black jersey that same year.

But despite his considerable achievements to date, one can’t help but get a sense that there’s more to come from this talented Ngäti Porou born and bred athlete. With his power and pace on the wing, he is a nightmare for any defense and despite the Hurricane’s continued string of dismal performances when it counts, including being eliminated from this year’s Super 14 quarterfinals, the fact is when Hosea gets the ball, great things happen. After being hindered by a knee injury earlier in the year, he say’s he’s back in top gear.
“Obviously one of my goals is to make the World Cup squad but there will be stepping stones along the way. There’s the Tri-nations Cup at the end of this year and next year, so I’ve got a few goals to make before the final squad is announced.”

While his main focus at the moment is to stay injury-free and perform at a 100% for any team that he plays on, the 26-year-old is also gearing up to play for the NZ Mäori Rugby team who are currently celebrating their centennial. If there’s a Mäori kaupapa out there, then Hosea says he is always willing to help out. With the New Zealand Rugby Union struggling financially, that’s the kind of support and initiative that the team will need, after being told that they have to bring in other sponsors in order to field a team.

And that’s where the increasingly influential Mäori business sector could play a pivotal role, says Hosea. With groups like Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd sponsoring the team, there are signs that the financial plight of NZ Mäori Rugby could in fact be just the kind of opportunity that the Mäori business sector has been waiting for. In fact, Hosea says he hopes NZ Mäori Rugby could be a rallying point in which to grow the sector by getting players involved in promoting business initiatives, particularly those that also focus on growing Mäori communities.

“I look at playing for the NZ Mäori’s as being an honour. You ask any of the Mäori boys; they don’t do it for the money but knowing we’ve got the financial support behind us brings a lot of confidence to what we do.”

With his strong whanau background and passion for all things Mäori, Hosea provides a strong image and the right kind of leadership to help NZ Mäori Rugby through turbulent times. Among his many career goals are future plans to return to Gisborne to give back to the community. That’s something he’s already started to do with his brother Rico and former NZ Mäori player, Rua Tipoki. The Gear brothers are currently involved with Tipoki’s mentoring program which is being administered by Te Rünanga o Ngäti Porou. The aim is to get young people in Gisborne off the streets and into the line up of talent that can be found in Iwi throughout the country.
“I was never the most talented growing up at school in my team. It was all my mates out partying—they were the superstars at the time. But I had a game plan and I stuck to it. It’s just about growing those players to where I’m at.”
As the countdown begins for the NZ Mäori Rugby team to take to the field in a new era that could bring a wealth of opportunity for the Mäori business community, Hosea says it’s also about promoting Mäori culture on a global stage. While the NZ Mäori Rugby program during the six week duration of the Rugby World Cup is yet to be confirmed, there is no doubt amongst many that the team has a powerful role to play in showcasing an authentic Mäori face to the world.
“The rest of the world loves the haka. That’s all they want to see when you go overseas so it would be nice to use the World Cup to build their knowledge more around our culture. Thinking on that side of things, NZ Mäori Rugby gives us an opportunity to explore ourselves overseas.”

Gear is definitely not a man to let an opportunity go by. He says that after seeing other players’ careers progress, while he has been sidelined because of injury, he now has a mentality of always achieving his short-term goals.
“A lot of guys take things for granted and the next minute they can’t play because of an injury. I want to take advantage of every opportunity. I always push myself to be fitter, stronger and faster.”

Gear Up
It’s Time For Business

There’s more to Hosea Gear than his passion to succeed on the international rugby stage. He’s a man going places off the field as well. KOHA editor Mere Takoko, spoke with Hosea about his vision to build a culture of saving among young people which he says is an important part of succeeding as a professional rugby player.

How did you get into the practice of saving money?
Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money so when I made the professional levels I had all this money coming in. It was obviously going to be hard for me not to spend it, but I guess because I appreciated it – and I wanted to buy a house – every bit of money I saved. I did that for about five or six years and eventually brought a house at the end of last year.

Do you see saving as an important part of succeeding as a professional rugby player?
Definitely, because when you’re at that highest level getting paid all this money, you need some knowledge on what to do with your money. I was lucky that we had a guy in our Hurricanes setup who helped us through financial planning. What we did is we planned out how much I was spending on food and rent, and then how much I had left over and then I put a lot of it aside to save. If you’ve got a plan you’ll be okay but if you’ve got no plan you’re just going to spend everything.

You recently bought a house, what’s the next step?
My first goal was just around buying a house, which I did at the end of last year, so I’ve got that out of the way and now I’m just looking at getting involved with some investments. I’ve started thinking about commercial property. That is definitely going to be the next step for me and will help to give me the freedom of time to do what I really want to do when I finish rugby.

What are your plans for retirement from rugby?
I’ll probably move to Gisborne and have a family by then. I want to bring my kids up in Gisborne and do a bit of coaching and work with our youth so I guess that mentoring program is a good start. I’ll probably try to grow Poverty Bay rugby because of all the talent I see. I was never the best rugby player in my high school team and there are a lot of players who aren’t reaching their potential. It’s just about growing those players to the level I’m at.

Do you think Iwi have a role in growing our youth through savings?
I definitely think Iwi have a role to play to support the youth because they’re our tamariki, they’re our whanau. I guess things always start with our youth and it would be good to see Iwi investing a lot in our youth. Rua Tipoki has started a mentoring program through the Ngäti Porou rünanga and has got me involved and eventually we’ll also start teaching them about saving their money because it really is a key part of succeeding in life.

Critics of National’s Treaty settlement policy say it’s been captured by self-decorated bureaucrats, is negating the rights of some customary Mäori land owners and has turned the Waitangi Tribunal into an administrative clerk for the Crown. Supporters say they are impatient with all this gravy-train treaty business and it’s vital that settlements are put to bed by 2014 so the country can move on from the past. In this two part series, KOHA considers where exactly we’re moving to and whether it’s ‘lights out’ for the Waitangi Tribunal.

If you want some idea of how irreverent attitudes to the Crown’s Treaty settlement policies have become, then imagine an impertinent city banker who is suddenly given the task of running a dairy farm in Motueka. James Wheeler contemplates the thought. The statement is a bit of tongue in cheek, “but I challenge John Key when he say’s he’s impatient about settling claims – because that potentially sets the scene for government to interfere with the process.”

Wheeler is the Chairman of Te Kähui Ngahuru Trust that was denied urgency by the Tribunal to have its claim heard by the Waitangi Tribunal. He say’s the Trust has spent considerable funds in professional fees and court processes that have delivered little, not even the right to have their issues tabled to the tribunal. And now, the Crown Rental Forestry Trust is refusing to pay their costs as it does for other claimant groups.

You might say that he has at best a cause for concern, and at worst, a case that may be thrown onto the scrap heap of unresolved grievances. Over the past 12 months that pile of inconvenient paperwork has grown significantly, due in no small part to the fact that the Waitangi Tribunal has refused to grant urgency to 14 different claimant groups. That’s unprecedented in its history.

Traditional mainstream criticism of the tribunal’s work has focused on the time it takes to investigate historic land claims and compile reports, accusations that it is a gravy train for lawyers and concerns that it’s an advocacy organisation. Now questions are being raised across the political divide from Mäori about whether Tribunal or staff are pandering to the interests of the Crown.

“Many of us are getting worn down by a powerful Crown machine that wishes to pick whom it deals with, cut backroom arrangements which have no teeth and very rarely restore häpu their rights,” says Wheeler.

When asked how he feels about members of the tribunal attending regular meetings with the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) and the Crown Law Office, agencies who represent the government’s interests in settlement negotiations, he looks bemused.

“It seems a little unusual, seeing that the tribunal should be separated from political influence. If they are seen doing that, it can be construed that they are not acting independently,” says Wheeler.

Adding to the milieu of disenchanted claimants and widespread disquiet about National’s Treaty settlement process is a United Nations Human Rights Committee finding that Te Kähui Ngahuru Trust should have its Treaty of Waitangi claim recognised. That’s got some of the tribunal’s staunchest advocates raising eyebrows.

“I think the UN report sends a signal to the international community that all is not well in the South and that there’s a problem going down in that part of the country,” says Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie.

As more claimants are denied urgency, the tribunal is getting criticism from the top of the South Island to the top of the North Island. With some saying it is no longer an impartial watchdog of government policy or a forum for the people, it’s relevance is also being questioned by the claimants who see no alternative but to appeal to the international community for support. The question is now whether the tribunal will continue to head toward a spiralling cascade of disapproval or succumb to an inevitable, albeit rapaciously debated era of transformation.

Sir Edward offers his own sobering view on the tribunal’s current modus operandi and why it may not be in the best interest of the tribunal going into the future.
“There is the tendency today to focus on management as a way of resolving issues. But the answer is not to say to people, ‘Well, you’re only holding up the settlement therefore we can’t hear your case.’ That’s an administrative decision, that’s not a proper judiciary process.”

The former Chief of the Waitangi Tribunal is quick to point out that the context in which the tribunal currently operates is completely different from the one that he presided over in the 1980s and early 1990s. He says he recognises that the tribunal is under immense pressure to resolve claims efficiently, but that the tribunal is risking its credibility if it continues to manage claimants instead of dealing with the issues.

“The function of this tribunal is to hear the Mäori people. The stakeholder in all of this is the Mäori people. You consult with Mäori, not with the government and not with the Office of Treaty Settlements on the process.”

Sir Edward, who also served on the High Court, believes it is time to review the commission of inquiry in light of growing concerns being aired by Mäori communities nationwide.
“My concern is not to destroy the tribunal. It’s quite the opposite.
It’s to strengthen it and get it back on target.”

The “Durie Review” – as some have come to dub it – is inspired by a paper delivered by Sir Edward at a University of Victoria sponsored law conference. The paper highlights three areas of focus for a review: policy, process and most importantly, people. He is forthright in his views that the tribunal has been captured by legalistic processes, and is concerned that there is no willingness to deal with affected claimant groups through their own Iwi institutions.

He writes, “Tribunal processes are instructive because they show how easily the principle of rangatiratanga can be overlooked even by the body that was probably responsible for popularising the term.”

Sir Edward, who became a Distinguished Champion of the New Zealand Order of Merit last year, points out that there is something wrong when there’s a diminished cultural element in the structuring of claims. He is forthright in his views that there are clear indications that the tribunal is not following the principles laid out under the Treaty of Waitangi Act.

“When I look at these applications that come in for urgent hearings and the huge amount of paperwork that is involved to get them to meet the tribunal’s criteria, I think, ‘This is a bureaucracy rather than a tribunal. It would take you far less time to just address the issue’.”

He says he is concerned that it’s almost as if the tribunal now sees the people as the enemy.
“It was set up so that the people could have their customary issues and interests heard. The tribunal can reject those arguments, but it has to hear the people.”

As Mäori enter a critical phase where tribal institutions are expected to play a larger role, there will likely be a number of whänau and hapü with genuine concerns that have not been addressed by the settlement process who will be left with no recourse but to deal directly with Iwi institutions. Sir Edward believes that the tribunal could provide a pivotal role in conflict mediation by working with tribes to develop a Mäori jurisprudence that is capable of meeting the needs of diverse interest groups within a post-settlement environment.

He says that although a Treaty jurisprudence has emerged over the past two decades due to the work of the tribunal, treaty rights are still vulnerable to political change.

“There’s only the tribunal that Mäori have to go to and once all these treaty claims are settled then the real business starts on contemporary claims. They’re the key ones so it is very important that the Tribunal gets its act together.”

In part two of this story KOHA considers whether the tribunal has the right stuff to promote Mäori economic interests and whether it should be written into New Zealand’s constitution as a protected body.

For a Prime Minister promoting major political and economic reforms while battling colleagues’ demands that he resign, the Cook Islands’
Jim Marurai appears remarkably unruffled. The former principal says his leadership and diplomatic skills, honed through work in the schoolyard, are trusted tools in the rough and tumble of politics.

“I try to please everyone, but sometimes I have to make the hard choices. I get blamed for some of these, but as long as the team stays together, that’s what I want,” he says.

Mr Marurai’s own Democratic Party has attacked the Prime Minister for some of his ‘hard choices’, especially the political reforms he first campaigned on in 2006. This includes combining electorate seats from a number of smaller electorates and introducing proportional representation, instead of the current ‘first past the post’ system.
For Mr Marurai, political change and economic reform are complementary. He wants government to be more responsive and accountable to its citizens; and he says this behaviour involves a broader concept of trade and development. The Prime Minister wants to increase Native Trade within the Pacific and with Mäori, and boost Cook Islands’ tax coffers.

“We should promote it [Native Trade] ourselves. Trade within the Pacific … well, what we trade now is black pearl and a little bit of paw paw to New Zealand, that’s all we can produce. We buy from overseas but we produce very little.”

The Cook Islands’ exports are worth about NZ$6mn, while its imports are valued at around NZ$200mn.

“That $200mn [in imports] is money leaving Rarotonga that could go on local projects and building infrastructure,” Mr Marurai says.

Mr Marurai suggests that Cook Islanders and Mäori partner in fishing and agriculture. Alongside other leaders, he often criticises owners of foreign vessels’ for overfishing of Pacific fish stocks, and the owners tendency to process the lucrative catch off shore, further depriving Island nations of jobs and revenue.

The Cook Islands are surrounded by one of the Pacific’s largest exclusive economic zones, almost two million square kilometres (1,830,000sq km) of rich fishing grounds for tuna and swordfish. The Pacific is responsible for as much as half of the global tuna catch, worth
US$3bn, but Island nations get very little by way of licence fees.
Mr Marurai has warned the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) that overfishing is now threatening the bigeye and yellowfin tuna species. He wants “fresh approaches, so that conservation and management measures can be established.”

He says that Mäori expertise and investment in fisheries, extended to the Cook Islands, would help sustain tuna stocks, earn more from the resource, and diversify the economy. Agriculture is another area where native trade could benefit the Cook Islands, he says.

“Our economy is largely based on tourism and so growth will depend on the revenue from tourism. We want to try and revive other industries, including the pearl industry, which is still struggling after five years. But fishing is the most likely industry to grow our economy.”

The Prime Minister says the FFA, as a regional group, is responsive to Island concerns. The group includes seventeen Pacific Island states, and members collectively shape regional fisheries policy and monitor breaches.

Mr Marurai’s enthusiasm for the group contrasts with his pessimism toward international forums. He points to the climate change talks in Copenhagen late last year, and what he describes as Islands’ failure to secure tangible results. At Copenhagen, developing nations rejected a last-minute accord proposed by the world’s biggest emitters and announced unilaterally by the United States President Barack Obama.

The United Nations said it would ‘’take note’’ of the accord but not adopt it, effectively just acknowledging its existence. And Island representatives, from the Cook Islands to more vocal opponents such Tuvalu’s Ian Fry, warned that poorly defined emissions targets would lead to island nations being harmed by rising seas and climate change.

“We worked with small Island states on an oasis … including the Maldives and the Caribbean, so in one way we had agreement,
all together, to send our beliefs to the international community,”
Mr Marurai said. “[But] if Copenhagen is a measure of that work, no: the little boys don’t run to tell the big boys what to do.”

Mr Marurai’s scepticism towards certain international forums extends to some free trade deals. He is happy for his government to borrow from banks to improve infrastructure and promote sustainable development. But he shares other Pacific leaders’ concerns that free trade will harm protected Islands resources and economies, and proceed too quickly for the Cook Islands.
Mr Marurai witnessed the Islands’ political and economic reforms of the 1990s, which attempted to make the public sector more efficient but also led to significant emigration. He is adamant that such social dislocation won’t occur under his watch. To this end, the Prime Minister suggests promoting preferential trade and Native Trade to grow the economy.

“We definitely want to look at pursuing preferential trade agreements with the Pacific Islands, but we have a lot of capacity issues,” he says. “I think we have a responsibility as leaders to pursue any economic opportunity that is good for our people.”

Mr Marurai says he will be judged, in his final term as Prime Minister, on his reforms. His rivals, from his own party and across the political spectrum, are attempting to sideline him. The Prime Minister knows, in part from his experience as a teacher wresting with students,
that it may be a while before his political and economic reforms
gain respect.

But Mr Marurai says he will continue to promote his lessons of political reform and native trade for a good while yet.

Is Mäori Television the Rocky Balboa of New Zealand broadcasting? Just like the iconic movie character, the indigenous television network has at times been considered the underdog by it’s main competitors in the television industry.

However with viewership figures on the rise, and recent ratings success delivering a knock out to rival networks, Mäori Television continues to punch far above its weight.
The “Tuamanator” wasn’t the only champion who won a heavyweight fight against their opposition on Wednesday 31 March. Also ringside that evening standing at one corner was Mäori Television, who recorded their highest ratings ever with the live free to air broadcast of the battle between David Tua and Friday ‘The 13th’ Ahunanya.

The special broadcast reached 877,700 viewers, making it the most watched programme in the channel’s history.
This milestone capped off a month where Mäori Television recorded its best audience figures to date, with a cumulative audience of 1,952,500 unique viewers tuning in to the channel.

Although some critics may perceive the
“Tua De Force” broadcast as slightly incongruous with Mäori Television’s stated aims of language revitalisation, Jim Mather says this is definitely not the case. For the station to ensure cultural objectives can be met long-term, he believes a sustainable business strategy must first be built in order for Mäori Television to survive and thrive into the future.

“We need to ensure that we are a well managed and successful television organisation. Our coverage of events is significant to all New Zealanders, such as ANZAC and Waitangi days.

We have found that we retain many of the viewers who we attract through these special broadcasts and we expect to benefit from an increased audience base from the David Tua fights.”

Over the six years Mäori Television has been on air it has experienced its fair share of highs and lows, with the negatives well documented by others within the media industry. These experiences have provided a steep learning curve for the station, with each episode offering an opportunity for growth.

For Jim Mather the number one highlight in the station’s history was its launch back in March 2004. He says, “With its birth the dreams of those who fought for many years for a Mäori television channel finally came to fruition.”

Among the list of other achievements noted by Jim include the development of a range in programming from light entertainment shows to hard-hitting current affairs.

Also there was the establishment of the Te Reo channel in 2008 and leadership that same year of the inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference.

Challenges for the station have included dealing with hurdles in any new business around systems and procedures and overcoming a negative perception from the outset about the station.

“We have tried to continually demonstrate the positive aspects of being an indigenous broadcaster. Overtime our audience has grown as we have conveyed to our viewers that we are not an exclusive organisation.
By continually increasing its audience share Mäori Television has shown successive governments of the day it has credibility as a broadcaster. This success is vital for the survival of Mäori Television as it is approximately 95% reliant on taxpayers funding. Each year the government provides a $16.5mn operational grant for the station and $16mn in direct funding for inhouse programming. Above this Mäori Television is required to compete against all other broadcasters for $25mn in contestable funding provided by government agency Te Mängai Päho, and receives only minimal funding from NZ on Air.

Jim says advertising brings in only a small percentage of its income, between $1–2mn each year. “Advertising is not the main priority for the station, but building a loyal audience who regularly tunes in is. To do this our role is to deliver exceptional programming to promote long term growth.”
To achieve this Mäori Television has joined forces with the indigenous television community to strengthen their capacity and capability to produce interesting programming. Jim recently returned from the second World Indigenous Television Conference in Taiwan where he met with counterparts from the host country and representatives from Australia, Canada, Hawaii, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, and South Africa.

Outcomes from the past two conferences have formed the basis of Mäori Television’s international business strategy. “We are working through a range of initiatives which will help realize our vision of becoming a world class indigenous broadcaster. These include a programme exchange scheme, which involves specific documentary programmes being pooled and all contributing members having access to a source of quality indigenous programming at minimal cost.

The sharing of knowledge and information between members is another key focus. This year one of our reporters, Carmen Parahi, will participate in a staff exchange programme with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network of Canada.”

Negotiating and finally winning the rights to become the lead free to air broadcaster of the Rugby World Cup 2011 has demonstrated both a sign of maturity and good business savvy by the station.

Adding to its catalogue of special broadcast programming, an increase in audience numbers can be assured through this coup. There are also potential flow-on benefits for the Mäori business community as Jim says details are currently being worked through that will enable the sector to leverage off this broadcast.

“We are going to use this six-week window of opportunity televising the World Cup provides to promote our Mäori Tourism and Mäori creative sector.”

Another opportunity to reach a domestic and international audience is provided through the station’s revamped, bilingual website (www.maoritelevision.com).

The number of hits the website receives has trebled in the last year with many of the online audience coming from overseas. Statistics show people in 188 other countries are clicking onto the site, with 20% from Australia making up the total online viewership. The website currently hosts over 200 hours of on-demand
Mäori Television programming, including valuable Mäori language resources.

In addition to the network’s two digital channels, Mäori Television and Te Reo, this online presence provides a third platform for the broadcaster. By having access to three complementary platforms the station can both contribute to the revitalisation of Mäori language and culture, while also working towards a sustainable future.

Mäori Television may have taken its share of knocks over the past six years, but MTS will never shy away from climbing back into the ring.

A small Mäori land trust in the central North Island, Kawerau A8D Trust, has emerged with a victory that is set to change the face of power not only in Aotearoa, but also throughout the Pacific. The Kawerau geothermal field, which sits under Kawerau A8D land and covers an area of between 19 to 35 sq km, will soon be part of the world’s first Native to Native Trade deal.

It’s a common story that many indigenous peoples have endured; a tale that starts with a ‘big idea’ in the name of development, then ends with a powerful multinational corporation driving traditional owners off their lands in order to exploit their natural resources.

The local hapü (sub-tribe) of Kawerau are no stranger to this narrative. Landowners of Kawerau A8D know intimately the impacts of bad development and equally bad deals. In the 1950s local hapü members signed a lease with Tasman Pulp and Paper, a company that built New Zealand’s biggest pulp and paper plant to process logs from the nearby Kaingaroa forest. Today, the hapü has been left with an intergenerational legacy of chemical pollution; their lands plagued with toxic contamination caused by the use of wood treatments such as Pentachlorophenol (PCP).

Smoking chimneys suffocate the air emitting a damp putrid smell that engulfs the entire valley. The land is scarred, habitats lie in ruin and the sacred springs of old can no longer sustain the area’s once plentiful wildlife. This is the face of an unsustainable form of development that has left many families of Tüwharetoa-ki-Kawerau with a bitter taste for commerce.

But times, they are a changing…

Half a world a way in Hilo, Hawaii, the swirling steam of Pele, the goddess who dwells upon Mt Kilauea sweeps through the volcanic surrounds. Here the toxic fumes of industry have yet to engulf the domain of this deity who has been a focal point of local spiritual beliefs for millennia.

But long-time indigenous rights advocate Mililani Trask isn’t one to rest on her laurels. She knows there are plenty of energy companies mulling over how to bypass indigenous environmental and spiritual concerns in order to exploit the area’s highly active geothermal fields.

Talking from her home near the sacred mountain, Trask says she is well aware of the fact that the colonial history of her people mirrors that of her Mäori cousins in Kawerau over four and a half thousand miles away.

Over the past two years, Trask has teamed up with native Hawaiian-owned company “Innovations Development Group” (IDG) to assist the Trustees of Kawerau A8D to structure a new economic venture to develop valuable geothermal resources.

If negotiations fare well, the landowners hope to build a new 50MW geothermal plant by 2012. While details of the terms of the joint venture are confidential, the proposed budget is estimated to be NZD$200mn with projections of fair market returns over the life span of the project.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. “What the Crown gives us in one hand, they take back with the other,” says Kawerau A8D Trust representative Colleen Skerrett-White.

Trustees of Kawerau A8D believe that those with competing geothermal interests, who currently hold a monopoly over the greater part of the Kawerau geothermal field, have used their power to shut down previous deals that have landed on the negotiating table.
“We’ve spoken to about 17 prospective companies. It’s hard because government policy only allows certain companies to be in certain areas,” says Skerrett-White.

Robbie Cabral, Founder and Chairperson of IDG, says that the situation in Aotearoa is not unlike other regions in the world.

“Mäori are land and resource rich but capital poor. The big geothermal players have been getting away with a model where Mäori lease their lands and receive pennies as royalty payments.”

As an advocate for sustainable economic, cultural and social development, Cabral is working internationally with Trask to protect indigenous communities from economic ventures that deliberately weaken or violate protections for human rights, in order for those indigenous communities to attract capital and gain access to their own resources.

“Even in our recent negotiations on geothermal sites in New Zealand, we find that often negotiators on the other side of the table aren’t even aware of the prejudices and assumptions that inform their proposals; it is just business as usual,” says Cabral.

Trask says it’s time for change and that Aotearoa could play a key role in promoting a indigenous-friendly approach to business called Native-to-Native Trade (N2N).
“I see a big problem in the Pacific where indigenous peoples want to develop their lands and resources, but lack the financial capacity and skill sets to engage on a level playing field with the transnational and state forces of globalisation.”

It’s been the common struggles of indigenous peoples against exploitative development that has inspired both Trask and Cabral to become architects of a Pan-Pacific economic initiative with a focus in renewable energy called Native-to-Native Trade (N2N).
Trask, who is a former diplomat with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, describes Native-to-Native Trade as a human rights-based approach to commerce that is built on the principles of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration says that Mäori have a human right to development that is culturally appropriate, environmentally sustainable and economically responsible.

But it’s the traditional Hawaiian principle of Pono or justice and honour which provides the foundation and the wellspring that has guided IDG’s business partnership with landowners of Kawerau A8D. Trask, an international legal expert and attorney, provides strategic direction and advice to the IDG team for projects with indigenous landowners seeking to develop their land and resource assets.

Cabral describes Trask as the “foundation” of Native-to-Native Trade and IDG as the “infrastructure.” Trask headed a team of experts, primarily native Hawaiians, who were brought together to procure a development transaction for the landowners of Kawerau A8D. They used a business model that secures and optimises the Trust’s intrinsic and indigenous values in what is already being hailed as a landmark geothermal development deal.

Thus far, IDG has invested about US$2m for exclusive development rights for the project and to bring in geologists, engineers, legal counsel, econometrics and other consultants to help the Trust to determine the true value of their geothermal resources.

After calling for expressions of interest, the Trustees of Kawerau A8D say they decided to bring IDG on as a development partner because they wanted to secure a greater equity stake and more control of their resources.

Skerrett-White also says it was the shared understanding of traditional norms and the impacts of colonisation on indigenous peoples that was an important factor.

“We decided that we didn’t want to enter a typical royalty-based agreement that many other Mäori landowners are pursuing. The project we are now looking at gives a substantial equity stake and more control over access to our land and our geothermal resources.”

The Trust faced capital constraints and had little knowledge of how to leverage their natural assets. With the help of the IDG team, Kawerau A8D Trust has put in place the appropriate fiscal architecture needed to ensure they are not exploited by other more sophisticated geothermal companies or investors.

Tomairangi Fox, the Trust Chairman says that the Kawerau A8D estate provides an auspicious site to launch the world’s first Native-to-Native trade deal.
“Our lands are culturally significant because it was here on our maunga, Tirotirowhetu, that our revered chieftainess, Hine-te-Ariki, would observe the position of the stars to ascertain important planting and fishing dates for the tribe. So it is very appropriate that this site has been chosen.”

The lands of Kawerau A8D Trust fall within the boundaries of Te Kete Poutama which is a 40 hectare block that was the ancestral home of Hine-te-Ariki, the grandmother of eponymous ancestor Tüwharetoa.
It is a landscape that is literally dotted with sacred sites including the ancient pä called Waitahanui and the sacred spring
Te Wai U o Tüwharetoa.

The Trustees take their responsibilities as guardians of the estate very seriously and fully support the Native-to-Native Trade protocols put in place by IDG to provide a safety net and ensure that the Trust can engage on an equal footing with prospective bio-generation companies.

Skerrett-White believes the geothermal deal will provide hope to landowners and a road map for other indigenous peoples who wish to pursue a development path that is environmentally, culturally and socially responsible. She says through Native-to-Native Trade, the Trust has been given an opportunity to turn back the toxic tide of their recent history.
“We are kaitiaki of the block and it’s our role to make sure the taonga (treasures) and tikanga (lore) passed down to us remains uncompromised and benefit future generations.”

Trask agrees and affectionately recalls the first time Mäori walked into her life at the United Nations, almost two decades ago, to draft the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She says that in the mid 1990s it became apparent that nation states were opposing the right to indigenous self-determination because they wanted to continue their control of indigenous lands, territories and resources.
“Mäori played a key role in drafting the Declaration and I am just so glad that our work on the Declaration has come full circle and that this geothermal deal has happened here in Aotearoa.”

It was Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu who requested that she and Cabral work with Mäori in 2000, when the IDG team came to Aotearoa for a Mäori – Kanaka Maoli Economic Summit which was hosted by the Kingatanga and Ngäti Tüwharetoa.

With IDG’s significant investment in the project to date, the Kawerau A8D deal will represent the first truly ‘authentic’ Native-to-Native Trade deal.

The company has also assisted landowners of Täheke 8C to enter into a landmark geothermal joint venture with Contact Energy in February.

Chairperson Tawhiri Morehu describes that deal as, “innovative and ground breaking.” He also says that, “It meets our goals and principles and ensures that as kaitiaki we remain in control of our lands and their use.”
Trask expects that once Mäori are aware of Native-to-Native Trade, the game of commerce as we know it will inevitably transform. And she is also confident that the IDG team can also assist other landowners throughout the Pacific to develop renewable energy initiatives.

“Co-development between indigenous peoples is the way to go. Native-to-Native Trade recognises that indigenous peoples as resource owners, hold the key to development,” adds Trask.

“All Indigenous cultures have some concept of pono which is not based on a contract but the traditional knowledge passed to us from our kapuna (ancestors). We have always asked ourselves are we doing a development that’s right for the earth, for our culture and for future generations.”

When he answers the phone for this interview Charles Royal says he has only just surfaced from the bush near his home in Rotorua. For the last couple of hours he’s been collecting ingredients for a Native Herb Salad, and soon a photographer will take shots of the finished creation. The images are for a new cookbook Charles is working on, with a release date set for the middle of the year. This period will also mark the beginning of an important stage in the career of the charismatic and talented chef. In September Charles will be off to Shanghai, where his company Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs hopes to win over the discerning tastebuds of Chinese consumers and distributors.

Charles is going to Shanghai to participate in a marketing initiative led by his company. Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs will be joining Waituna Breweries, Aotearoa Seafoods and Tohu Wines to promote their products at a series of formal functions. These companies are all part of the Tekau Plus export group. The banquets will be held at three of Shanghai’s most prestigious restaurants located on
the River Bund, an area hailed as the Riviera of China renowned for its high-end hotels, clubs and eateries.

Diners will have the opportunity to sample a range of Aotearoa’s finest cuisine, from kawakawa beer, to kaimoana, to Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs infused delicacies. During the dinners the companies will have the chance to cultivate and build new relationships with Chinese business representatives, as well as renew existing contacts. This event represents a strategic move by Kinaki to position Mäori exporters at the gateway of a financial superpower, potentially worth millions of dollars to the Mäori economy.

Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of over 30mn people in its metropolitan area.
Located on the country’s eastern Pacific Coast Shanghai also contains the world’s largest cargo port, and is viewed as the centre of commerce and finance for mainland China. Currently China is New Zealand’s second biggest trading partner, with our exports to China valued at NZ$3.76bn for the year ending February 2010. However due to the incredible pace at which China’s economy is developing, it is anticipated that it will soon overtake Australia as our number one trading partner.

The timing of the Kinaki initiative in September has been planned to coincide with the Ministerial visit by Dr. Peter Sharples to the 2010 Shanghai Expo. More than 70mn people are expected to visit the expo during its six month run from May to October. A significant marketing opportunity not lost on the New Zealand government who have invested $30mn into the NZ Pavilion. With this influx of visitors flooding into the city the businesses will be well placed to take advantage of potential commercial opportunities.

The visit will follow on from John Keys’s launch of New Zealand Day in July at the expo, and the ceremonial gifting to the people of China of Te Käkano, a majestically carved waharoa. Charles believes both these activities will ensure there will be an increased level of interest among the Chinese community about New Zealand. “The Chinese media saturated the airwaves with news about New Zealand when we signed the free trade agreement with China. I expect John Key’s visit to the expo will create a buzz we can capitalise off.”

Around 100 prospective Chinese clients representing major players in the distribution and hospitality sectors are expected to attend the dinners each night. Charles says, “ I’m going to use Shanghai as an opportunity to launch Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs onto the Chinese market. The dishes I’ll be preparing will be inspired by Western and Eastern cuisine, combined with indigenous native herbs.”

Chinese diners will be treated to an array of Kinaki Wild Herbs gourmet sausages – pork and pikopiko, beef and horopito, lamb and kawakawa, and chicken and piripiri.

Also traditional Chinese Dim Sums will have a flavour makeover when Charles infuses the tiny dumpling dish with native herbs cultivated in Aotearoa. Charles also hopes to take part in a “cook off” with Chef Victor Yuan, a Chinese Celebrity Master Chef, while he is there.

The September expedition will be Charles’s second to China since November last year when he went to Shanghai as part of a group of Mäori exporters to network with potential Chinese clients. Charles’s visit to Shanghai will be part of the planned visit led by the Minister of Mäori Affairs Dr. Pita Sharples visits the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Charles hopes to get involved with festivities planned to mark this occasion.

Charles has been in the hospitality game for three decades now, beginning as a young fifteen-year-old apprentice chef in the NZ Army. He has cooked at the finest restaurants in the world and also established two of his own. His foray into the culinary native herbs business began with an interest in the sustainable harvesting of wild pikopiko. Since then he has applied this knowledge to a number of different enterprises. These include creating a range of indigenous inspired meals for Air NZ’s First class inflight service, as well as creating Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs condiments and offering Mäori Food tours.

His latest venture is the launch of Kinaki Wild Herb sausages, an outcome of a relationship he formed with Dunninghams, a leading supplier of ingredients to the smallgoods industry.
“As a small business it’s been hard to increase our productivity. But by partnering with Dunninghams we are able to take our company to the next level, which is much faster than doing it by ourselves. These guys have great business nous and extensive distribution channels that will hopefully take our business into Asia.” The market both companies are initially aiming to attract with their Kinaki Wild Herbs meat products are the international community in China. “Ex-pats living abroad like to eat traditional English fare like sausages. Our products have a point of difference because they are from New Zealand and are flavoured with native herbs.”

The other markets Charles wants to target are the affluent young Chinese community, who have developed a taste for Western style food, and Chinese consumers interested in the medicinal qualities of the native herbs. Eventually Charles would like to see his products sold in supermarkets all over China, and served at the country’s top five star restaurants.

His mission while in Shanghai is to experiment by combining herbs like pikopiko and horopito with traditional Chinese ingredients, and if successful add these meals to his product range. Charles is confident about the future fortunes of his company.

“If we’re a hit in Shanghai who knows where that could lead. Maybe after my cookbook comes out, I should get it translated into Chinese!”

Mäori have been involved in financial management practices all of their existence. The only difference being the type of currency used. Historically our people traded and bartered to ensure that our people survived. In order to live this way, there were practices applied and lore adhered to, to ensure the resources were managed appropriately and efficiently.

The phrase “Survival of the fittest” is definitely apt when reflecting on those times of trade and enterprise. Especially when expanding on the interpretation of the term “the fittest”. Fit from a holistic view point could easily be interpreted as Healthy, Wealthy and of course Wise. The fact that Mäori survived is proof in itself that they were good at what they did, good at financial management.

Jump forward two hundred years, is this so different today? Our people are still thriving in the realms of trade and enterprise with many new opportunities on our doorsteps. We are still governed by lore but now also by law. The phrase “Survival of the fittest” is indeed still apt for today’s financial climate. Any individual and business, Mäori or other, would definitely be pleased to tick the box that said they are Healthy, the same applies to Wise and there is definitely a desire to have a big tick in the box for Wealthy.
So what has changed that challenges Mäori to be less competent in this area? Not discounting the hardships that Mäori went through as part of colonisation nor the dependencies created from societal changes, but we don’t behave as strongly in this area as we once did.

It is difficult to talk about a blanket one size fits all approach of financial management, as there are so many differing circumstances and factors for individuals through to businesses. Although there are many principles that still apply no matter how big or small you may be.
As part of the entrepreneurial make up, Mäori will always try and get more bang for their buck by getting as much out of the dollar as possible. This is not a negative thing, but it is a behaviour that we have adopted and one that can sometimes get us into trouble. Sometimes tending to adhere to shortcuts and bypasses.

Individuals
Making the most out of what you have is definitely a skill. Coming through a recession and with the current tax regime, there is not much left to spare. New Zealanders as a whole are typically not very good at saving. Attaining the kiwi dream is just as important to the majority now as it was in the past. Mäori are no exception to this either. NZ has been thrashed by high mortgage rates with very little comparative rise in the standard of earnings and living. Statistically people are living longer, therefore the need to prepare for those days ahead has never been more pronounced. The Mäori demographic will be significantly larger.

What can you do to help? There are lots of online tools to help you plan better and manage your money better. The best thing to do is to take advantage of the Kiwi Saver Scheme and the Government Kiwi Saver start up offer.
The Government contributes a start up incentive of $1,000 to every new Kiwi Saver account. The other opportunity is the compulsory employer contribution. When you don’t have a lot to spare, 2% of your gross earnings does seem like too much. On a salary of $20,000, 2% equates to $400.

You will receive a $1,000 from the Government and an addition 2% (based on your Gross earnings) from your employer. After your first year, you are definitely on the way to building your nest egg. Invest in yourself; we don’t know how long these incentives will be around for.
Voluntary sector
Mäori value things differently when it comes to the wellbeing of our people. More often than not, there is a lot of giving without the expectancy of return. Mäori are definitely some of the biggest contributors to the voluntary sector. Many people don’t even realise that that is what they are doing. Our marae live by the contributions of our people, not necessarily by monetary contribution, but the contribution of KOHA aroha, time and human resource.
It is part of our makeup to do this. Köhanga Reo is another Mäori operation that was designed around a lot of voluntary input. More of our kaumätua have to work longer (if they are lucky to have employment) and many of our mums go back to work a lot earlier, even with the aid of paid parental leave. So in many cases, it tends to be the same few doing the bulk of the mahi. This can lead to individuals burning out or an expectation of payment. There is no right or wrong response, but be very careful how this is managed.

Financial management does not elude our Marae and Köhanga Reo. There are many financial responsibilities that they are pledged with. It is important to understand that there is a lot of stress around the financial responsibilities with Marae and the like. There is a huge reliance on the skills of key individuals involved to ensure that the operational matters are taken care of, then to also have to account for the income and expenditure appropriately. The role of the Treasurer is onerous and often without the appreciation and understanding of time it takes to do the work. It is often viewed that paying for accountancy firms or bookkeepers to do this mahi is additional money that could be spent elsewhere.

The responsibility of financial management does not just sit with the Treasurers, it also is the responsibility of the representative body to understand what they should be looking for and what they are looking at.

What can be done to help? All members should undergo governance training which will cover a section on financial management and reporting. Also look to support your Treasurers by ensuring that they have appropriate training and tools to carry out their functions. Aim to have everything computerised and use an accounting package. There are some good accounting packages that are cost effective. There are a few really good Mäori Trainers in this field of expertise. Contact Te Puni Kokiri to see what assistance may be available regarding your training needs.

SME’s
Bridging into the next space are the Small to Medium sized enterprises (businesses). Most of our Trust and Incorporations fall into this space. These entities are often founded as kaitiaki of assets consisting of “Taonga tuku iho” either directly or from some form of claim. Many of these may also survive on the expectation of voluntary contributions. Many will have a more structured and managed business operation in place and may pay board members. The spectrum from one end to the other is varying and diverse. Some are very basic in their existence and then there are entities which are still considered small to medium, that have a more sophisticated and professional approach to their operations. These entities tend to have a quite detailed structure, with asset holding companies and commercial operating arms in place.

What can SME’s do to improve their Financial Management? Regardless of the size, the Board should definitely undergo governance training with a key focus on financial management and reporting and investment management.

A fundamental “must have” is the ability to understand the nature of risk. Understand the assets and understand the boundaries applied to the assets, communicate this clearly and openly to the beneficiaries. Another fundamental “must have” is the ability to analyse the financial information provided. In order to develop and progress, do not unnecessarily put those taonga or assets at risk.
Sound investment advice will help to determine those parameters. Progression can walk a very fine line, financial planning and forecasting is a “must do”.
SME’s are very prone to outsourcing the financial functions to Accountants and Law Firms, both of whom are often the secretariat for the organisation. At the end of the day, there is nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution and using this expertise. However, there still needs to be knowledge transfer systems in place with the aim of bringing those functions back in house.
If you are progressive, there will always be a need for your professional support, but as you get better, the support you require will be at a higher level.

Some of these SME’s will pay dividends to their beneficiaries and have grants that they distribute. Thinking about better ways to allocate these funds is also a key part of financial management. Mäori need to be more innovative about their social contribution back to their people. Small amounts of money often appease beneficiaries or grant seekers for the here and now. To be truly about the “survival of the fittest”, we need to be doing things better or doing better things. Picking up the latter could mean that a Kiwi Saver account is set up for all beneficiaries and the annual dividend is deposited into their retirement savings.
Regarding grants, instead of giving all grant seekers a morsel of the fund, there are opportunities to apply grant allocations to specialised industry areas pertaining to the business or assets of the organisation. This could be done for the duration of the course term with the potential to provide employment in this area on completion.

Point of Difference
As governers of Mäori organisations it is your Values and Principles that guide you to make your decisions, however don’t let them hinder your operations by changing the rules to suit. Financial Management does not know what race or religion you are. The same rules and regulations apply to all who enter its realm. There is still a lot more we can do to equal the savvy ways of our Tipuna. Mäori have been involved in financial management practices all of their existence. Times have changed and so has the currency used, “Survival of the fittest” is apt, let’s make sure we are Healthy, Wealthy and Wise.

It’s something you can enjoy raw, straight from the smoker or served delicately on wafer thin crackers – salmon is a culinary delight to the Western world. The Chinook salmon, from the Rakaia River in North Canterbury, is especially sought after, not just by food connoisseurs or keen anglers, but also by the Winnemem Wintu people
– a First Nations Tribe from California.

The Winnemem Wintu Tribe claims the Chinook salmon in the Rakaia River are descended from eggs from the McCloud River. The salmon, which once thrived in the McCloud – a tributary of the Sacramento River, made up the bulk of the Winnemem Wintu diet; they would each consume around a pound of salmon daily. In the 1940s, with the construction of the Shatsu Dam on the Sacramento River, the seasonal salmon run which had existed for thousands of years stopped, breaking a sacred covenant that the tribe had with their fish. They are now a poor tribe unrecognised by the US government and survive on minimal social security payments. They say that their troubles began when they broke this covenant with their salmon and that they didn’t do enough to protect them.

Fortunately for the fish, the US government bred millions of Chinook salmon eggs and shipped them around the world in hopes of creating new fisheries. The salmon was introduced into Aotearoa’s South Island waters between 1901 and 1907 and became a breeding ground where the fish thrived. The salmon has now established spawning runs in the Rakaia, Waimakariri, Hurunui, Waiau, Rangitata, Opihi and Ashburton rivers.

Mark Franco, Head of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, says their journey was prompted by a ceremony performed by Winnemem Wintu’s spiritual leader. And so began the 2010 Winnemem Wintu’s spiritual mission to Aotearoa. Earlier this year Ngai Tahu welcomed the tribe to NZ’s shores to apologise to the fish at the Rakaia River in Canterbury, and ask them to come home.

“During a war dance ceremony in 2004 our spiritual leader received a message from our ancestors; the spirits came into the fire area and said we had to get it done, that we needed to mend our relationship with the fish in order to heal.”

Earlier this year, 28 members of Winnemem Wintu, many whom had never before left their homeland, gathered on the banks of the Rakaia River accompanied by Ngai Tahu elders to commence an intense four day ceremony which culminated in a dance called the nur chonas winypus or middle water salmon dance.
“We danced very hard for four days; we sang our hearts out. We have so much sadness but we feel relief in reconnecting with our fish. We don’t want to leave them.”

Ross Millicamp from NZ Fish and Game hosted the Winnemem Wintu on a field trip around Canterbury’s High Country where the salmon spawn.

“It was interesting to see the reverence in which the First Nation’s people held the salmon. It was surprising the emotion witnessed from the First Nation’s people. When we first met they seemed like an average group of mixed age people enjoying New Zealand – typical visitors having a great time – but as soon as they saw salmon they became very very emotional; it was pretty moving for them.”

Ross says for NZ Fish and Game it was a worthwhile project. And whilst NZ is not in a predicament in terms of habitat here for salmon, we could be in the future. But for now it’s about helping the Winnemem Wintu people replenish their stock.

“We hope to have an ongoing relationship with the Winnemem Wintu tribe – everyone hopes the visit will be a precursor to helping restock their river, but the main issue is restoring the river so the adult salmon can spawn there. They understand they need to clean up their river and when they get to that stage, we’re happy to help them repopulate their salmon.”

What an eventful few months FOMANA has had. Our crystal ball is sending numerous messages that 2010 and a good part of 2011 could be defining years for New Zealand.
Why? Because change is hard to accept. In this article I will discuss some of the key changes occurring. Then, I will discuss the history of land wars in Taranaki, and finally, about a program to advance export earnings, Tekau Plus.

Change
Some of the key variables impinging upon New Zealand both as an economy and society are summarised as:

Demographics
Ageing non-Mäori population
Young Mäori, Pacific and Asian populations

Immigration
Growing Asian populations

Income levels
NZ household income levels are 30% on average lower than Australia

Education
Becoming more expensive and competitive and highly educated people are highly mobile

Resources
Resource protection and utilisation will see competing interests and highlight supply and demand thus lifting prices out of the reach of New Zealanders. Examples: Mining the Conservation Estate; Water use, plans and rights in Canterbury, Food Supply (potential China investment in dairy farms in NZ)

International
Geo-political shift from west to east.

Technology
Radical changes in technology and how developing nations are early adopters.
What we have before us now is not just a post-recession environment where the government has to manage tight budgets, but there exists the real potential that a foreign buy up ‘tsunami’ will hit New Zealand. This tsunami will be driven by the dual aspects of supply and demand. International businesses will be focused on securing supply of resources such as:
• natural resources
• energy resources
• food and beverages
• minerals
• a safe environment for residents (future immigrants)

International market demand for the above is beyond the comprehension of most New Zealanders. Moreover, money is not a barrier for these businesses, as many of them are backed by huge sovereign funds and wealthy governments offering incentives. A new international colonisation is occurring. This is neither a good nor bad thing; it is just something that is happening.

History Repeats
Is it not ironic how history seems to repeat and old biases re-emerge? I recently attended the 150-year commemoration in New Plymouth, Waitara and Püniho of the commencement of the Taranaki land wars. The Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth launched an exhibition illustrating the Taranaki land wars, a must see for all New Zealanders:
Te Ahi Kaa Roa, Te Ahi Kätoro Taranaki War 1860–2010
Our Legacy – Our Challenge from 17 March – 1 August
www.pukeariki.com/Exhibitions/TaranakiWar

150 years ago, the print media then portrayed Mäori as the aggressors (for wanting to maintain their land and other property rights), as lacking commercial acumen (albeit Mäori prior to the land wars were the economic engine) and a nuisance (cost) to colonial advancement.

On the same day as the Puke Ariki exhibition opened, two significant events occurred – both Te Atiawa and Taranaki Iwi signed Terms of Negotiations with the Crown. These Terms of Negotiations outline the approach for conducting negotiations. There were powerful statements made by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Treaty Negotiations. Whilst there were statements concerning unjust takings and sackings, etc. – considerable talk was about a new future, a new relationship and building future prosperity.

The hospitality accorded by the local Iwi to government, both central and local, was intriguing given the level of the unjust confiscations of land and other resources by central and local government.
That aside, it dawned on many that are tribally connected to both Te Atiawa and Taranaki Iwi that our histories, our stories, and our contribution to New Zealand has never been fully articulated in mainstream media.

After the signing ceremonies there was a 30 second TV report on the news and articles in some of the papers, but those reports are event-based and do not give the full richness of history and the future focus of building future potential. Yet, the media is never slow in reporting, correctly or not, stories of Mäori aggressiveness, protests, crime statistics, alleged unethical business or poor business acumen or the classic waste of taxpayer money. We can learn a lot from the colonisation and reading old media. History repeats.

Export Potential
I have recorded my admiration of companies that export and that are driven by business leaders and entrepreneurs who endeavour to build high growth, high value businesses that earn foreign revenue for New Zealand. In this edition and previous editions of KOHA, we outlined a number of companies that are collaborating and working through a program called Tekau Plus. So what is Tekau Plus? The overall objective is to create ten Mäori niche global companies, each earning NZ$10mn within ten years. The strategy is to create common interest clusters of Mäori businesses from which the ten will be cultivated.

Tekau Plus is governed by three organisations:
The Mäori Trustee, Poutama Trust and the Federation of Mäori Authorities (FoMA) collectively operating as the Tekau Plus Board. They contract to Te Puni Kökiri.
FOMANA provides contract services to the Tekau Plus Board. FOMANA reports to the Tekau Plus Board. The Tekau Plus Board reports to TPK. It is widely known that the government has just finished a review of the value of Tekau Plus and this is welcomed. It is important in the value view that any paradigm dominated by simply focusing on processes and inputs is balanced with building capability, collaboration and current and future fiscal revenue potential.

Another important matter is that over the past decade there has been limited focus, and consequently limited support and investment in developing a pipeline of Mäori export businesses. But why have Mäori exporters?
Firstly, another segment of the business community that can provide experiences and/or goods and services that brings in valuable foreign earning to this country is a no brainer.
Secondly, when it comes to the next 10–20 years Mäori are not only going to be significant primary resource holders of farms, fishing, forestry; Mäori will also be business leaders in fashion, film, food and technology, energy and natural resource holders for tourism.
Thirdly, Mäori are connecting to international distribution networks and channels and investors, this therefore opens up communication, relationship and investment channels.

Finally, what helps differentiate New Zealand from other nations? At this year’s World Trade Expo in Shanghai, China, Native images and senses to New Zealand are to the forefront. There is a carved waka, greenstone, waiata, reo and, “dear” I say it, Mäori. Ka pai tena!

In this fast paced world we live in, we are bombarded with endless choices in what we drink, in what we eat and in what we do. This chaos is creating a new demand for products that can offer us unique experiences and connections in our lives. Just as the French have captured our imagination with exotic cheeses and the Italians our love of fresh pasta, there is now a quiet search happening in New Zealand for natural flavours that capture the indigenous essence of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

The Federation of Mäori Authorities (FoMA) and FOMANA Capital have developed a strategic partnership with leading scientists at the Crown Research Institute, Plant and Food Research, to explore native plant species and determine whether they hide uniquely New Zealand flavours. Two years into the four-year government funded programme, five native plant species are showing real promise as Plant and Food Research food technologist, Carl Massarotto, infuses these ‘NZ flavours’ into cheeses, seafood, meats and beverages.

“Tasting the first product concepts, in September last year, was a great milestone for the team and represents a truly exciting opportunity for FoMA members and the Tekau Plus programme,”
says Paul Morgan of FOMANA Capital. “The knowledge and know-how developed within this programme is managed by FoMA so
our members are in a wonderful position to take advantage of
the opportunities.”

However, we are only at the start of this journey. To transform this important knowledge into a commercial reality, a number of strategic partners are required. These include communities and iwi groups committed to managing and harvesting commercial crops, specialist ingredient manufacturers that extract the novel flavours from the plant, companies dedicated to embedding unique flavours in their food and beverage products and companies who reach into domestic and offshore markets to offer a uniquely New Zealand experience.

Charles Royal from Kinaki NZ® Native Herbs saw the potential of adding native flora and fauna into New Zealand cuisine almost a decade ago. Kinaki Herbs, is part of the Tekau Plus export excellence programme, is working with the development team to leverage its initial success for export markets. It is a great example of a Mäori company building depth in its value chain. Royal’s recent collaboration with Dunninghams, a NZ food and ingredients manufacturer, has also allowed his company to develop a distinctive offering for Asian markets.

“Tourists visiting New Zealand develop lasting memories of the people they encounter or the foods they eat and they love to relive these experiences when they return home. I’ve found one way they can do this is by giving them New Zealand flavours to savour again. The NZ Flavours research is an exciting programme that can help take these flavours in to the homes of individuals visiting our shores,” says Charles Royal of Kinaki Herbs.

Another company, Cuisine Resources, is also working closely with the research team to develop commercial techniques that extract the novel flavours from native plants. Investment into their food grade processing infrastructure makes them a key strategic partner in the overall value chain. Founded in 1989 by Tony and Robyn Laus, Cuisine Resources is moving into a new development phase. Work is underway to build their new 5,700 sq m state-of-the-art factory which will comply with New Zealand, European Union and United States regulatory standards. They have a great reputation internationally and currently sell ingredients into Europe, Australia, Japan and the United States.

“There is a constant demand from cuisine manufacturers all around the world and it is important for us to be part of this development team looking at what makes New Zealand’s flavours unique.
This way we (NZ) can preserve our native flavours and develop sustainable value from these,” says Tony Laus from Cuisine Resources

Now that the first round of plant species selection is completed with respect to narrowing the flavour palette to the first five ingredients, the team is switching to the scientific groundwork needed to ensure ingredient consistency and quality within the supply chain. This is a great time for additional partners to come on board and leverage the initial scientific knowledge.

Companies such as Maraeroa C Incorporation, also a member of the Tekau Plus programme are well placed to assist in developing commercial plant crops and playing a role in the NZ Flavours value chain. They have an established native nursery with over 100 plant varieties and have built substantial knowledge required to evolve from wild harvesting to commercial crop management.

In addition to developing the sustainable ingredients supply chain, formal product development and testing is getting underway. This is where a number of successful Mäori food and beverage manufacturers can participate. Their knowledge and desire to continually offer a unique product to their customers is where this collaboration will result in New Zealand flavours being sampled all round the world.