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A senior banker believes a new survey of Maori business shows how Maori are becoming an increasingly important part of the New Zealand economy.
For the first time Maori businesses have been targeted for special analysis within ANZ’s annual business barometer survey of private business.
Graham Turley, the bank’s managing director of commercial and agricultural banking, says he’s encouraged by the clear sense of direction and healthy optimism among Maori business owners, managers or governors.
Almost half were optimistic about their prospects in the next 12 months, and 72 percent were confident they would do well over the next three years.
Mr Turley says change is happening.
"What we’ve seen with changes in the way Maori assets are managed as well as the treaty settlements, there is now a lot of capital, a lot of cultural development on things like education going on so this economy, as we start to build up and as we see a change in the world order, the Maori economy is going to become a very big piece of the world economy," he says.
Mr Turley says indicators like the importance Maori businesses place on research and development indicates an inter-generational focus.
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