May 28, 2020
Upside for Māori in post-Covid trade
The chair of Māori trade advocacy body Te Taumata says the COVID-19 economic recovery could be a chance for Māori to catch up and even get ahead of the pack.
Chris Karamea Insley says the Māori economy relies on trade across open borders, so any increase in protectionism under the guise of the pandemic is a concern.
But with the threat of coronavirus infection largely gone here and the prospect of economies in Australia and parts of Asia reopening relatively soon, there are opportunities that can be taken particularly in food production.
He says he Government is doing the right thing by both supporting families and supporting businesses to get through the worst of the crisis.
"So it’s do more in that space to help our whānau who are doing it tough right now, but also be thinking a little bit over the horizon about how do we position our Māori businesses to employ all of our whānau, thinking about these trade opportunities that are looming out there, and lining our businesses up to get ahead of the game and start employing our people big time," Mr Insley says.
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