Former NZTE Māori Partnerships director Dale Stephens warns that the Crown research sector shake-up could reduce funding for Māori innovation.
Last week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the disestablishment of Callaghan Innovation, the merger of seven Crown Research Institutes into three, and the creation of a new advanced technology entity.
Stephens, now head of Māori Tourism, says he worked closely with Callaghan’s Māori Development team and witnessed strong engagement from young Māori innovators.
“What we were seeing, especially with our rangatahi, was a great uptick in moving into the innovation, technology, bioscience, Geotech spaces that our rangatahi are really good at. And so I’m waiting to see if the current government is true to what it says about really focusing on growth going forward, they will need to be unshackling some of the bureaucracy that is stopping that growth coming through,” says Stephens.
Dale Stephens says the government should explore alternatives like tax breaks and reducing establishment barriers to help Māori commercialise their ideas.
