December 18, 2012
Poutama aligns with ASB to offer more services
Māori business development organisation the Poutama Trust has picked the ASB to help it provide financial and banking advice, support and resources to Māori ventures.
Poutama Chief Executive Richard Jones says all banks are waking up to the potential of the Māori economy and have built up Māori teams.
He says ASB is a natural fit with his organisation’s client base.
"When we looked at the ASB, they have an involvement with the small business sector which is a lot of our client base and then with their rural banking services they are out there with Māori land entities and also dealing with some of the treaty settlement groups that have got their settlements and set up commercial holding companies," Mr Jones says.
Poutama Trust has had a positive year, which included setting up an indigenous cuisine cluster of 22 Māori firms producing products such as wine, seafood, dairy products and manuka honey.
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