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A Taniwha Dragon Economic Summit has generated more than $100 million in prospective business between Maori and Chinese firms.
The summit was held over the past two days in Hastings in the lead up to Te Matatini.
It was co-hosted by Ngati Kahungunu chair Ngahiwi Tomoana and Chan Shu Kit, chairman of the huge Lei Gardens restaurant chain, who is seeking more New Zealand produce for his restaurants.
Other speakers included Zhou Jinwang of Shanghai Fisheries and John O'Loghlen, the Australia and New Zealand director of business development for Alibaba, who said goods from the region already ranked fourth on its China online retail platform.
Maori law society tumuaki Tavake Afeake of Ngati Kahungunu says Ngahiwi Tomoana challenged participants to do more than talk, and they responsed by signing $138 million in deals by the end of the hui.
"I've never seen anything like it. There are a lot of good people out there who want to work with Maori and there are a lot of Maori out there who want to work with others, increase our opportunities and pathways for prosperity and engagement, employment, advancement for our people, and that is from individuals to whanau to hapu to whakamininga like Kahungunu," he says.
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