November 11, 2014
Waikato Maori look to grow economy
Waikato Maori businesses and asset managers are in Hamilton this afternoon for a workshop on how to grow the region’s Maori economy.
In a report commissioned by the Federation of Maori Authorities,Ministry of Maori Development and Waikato Regional Council, economic consultancy BERL said tribally and individually, Maori in the region have just over $6 billion in assets and contribute $1.4 billion a year to regional gross domestic product, about 8 percent of the total.
Te Puni Kokiri regional manager Rachel Jones says today’s workshop is about the various sectors like farming and forestry understanding the opportunities.
"It actually brings all those different sectors of the Maori economy together to talk about how they can work collaboratively to build on the assets each of those sectors are managing. That's the most exciting part about today," she says.
Rachel Jones says similar reports will be prepared on the Maori economy in other regions.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL JONES CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjM5Mjc=
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