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Download AudioA free trade agreement with the European Union has been hailed as a sure-fire winner for Māori.
The deal announced this morning will provide duty-free access to 97 percent of New Zealand’s current exports to the EU, and is expected to eventually grow export revenue by up to $1.8 billion a year.
Matthew Tukaki from the National Māori Authority says negotiators have allowed Māori leaders and organisations to lean into the talks, stating their concerns and even lobbying EU ambassadors.
He says the agreement includes a specific indigenous chapter, including a definition of manuka honey – something New Zealand was unable to get in its free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
“The beef and meat industry are saying ‘there’s not enough in it for us.’ Actually, we have been reliant on those industries for way too long, which is great, they’ve been a help to us, but for Māori, we need to build and diversity our own export markets so that free trade agreement for Māori is a surefire winner,” Mr Tukaki says.
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