November 23, 2016
Waka lore basis of business course
It was waka that carried the ancestors of Maori out of southern China several thousand years ago and it will be waka lore that helps bring the two people back together.
Auckland University’s business school is offering a new Wayfaring Leadership course to help Chinese executives work with Maori businesses.
It will cover Maori business styles and values, entrepreneurship and interconnections between Maori and Chinese values.
Associate Professor Manuka Henare says the wayfaring approach to leadership is based on principles of traditional waka ocean navigation.
He says Maori have products and services that Chinese are keen to acquire, and the cultural connection is a good starting point for doing business.
"China will be one of the biggest single global economies soon if it is not there already so is an opportune time to re-establish these connections and the Maori economy and Maori businesses, if we are smart, will grow with China as it becomes more global, and If we stay with them we will just grow with them," Dr Henare says
The programme will run next year at the Business School Graduate School of Management, one night a month for six months, led by Dr Chellie Spiller.
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