July 06, 2023
Haka highlights trade possibilities
The chair of Māori trade rōpu Te Taumata says the impact of the Māori cultural component on last week’s prime ministerial trade mission to China was massive.
Chris Karamea Insley says like Māori, the Chinese place great importance on culture.
He says that was demonstrated by reaction within China to the haka done by Te Matatini winners Te Whanau a Apanui on the Great Wall of China.
“They got 40 million hits for their haka. That affirms what we’ve long understood, and that is the thing that will differentiate us as a nation, as New Zealand, and certainly everyone that is Maori, from everybody else that produces what we produce like all our fish, all of our hone, all of our kiwifruit, it’s our culture, it’s our identity,” Mr Insley says.
He says Maori on the trip saw opportunities to expand on the current $20 billion a year in trade, including expanding into non-traditional areas such as digital technology and services.