December 02, 2022
Māori procurement push value for money
A consultant who’s working with Te Puni Kokiri to help Māori businesses win government contracts says a procurement policy brought in last year is producing some great results.
The government wants 5 percent of contracts by volume to go to Māori businesses.
Warner Cowin from Height Project Management says that’s meant conservative agencies like Waka Kotahi and Corrections, which previously just worked with large suppliers, are looking to engage with whānau businesses.
He says there are real benefits from a diversified supply chain.
“We’ve seen some great ownership. When a Māori business delivers state housing in Kaikohe for their own people, not only are you having a contract with government to deliver that housing, you are signing a social contact with your people – everyone knows who you are, the state houses are going to your whanau so there is an obligation you are taking on., So we’re seeing better levels of service and in some cases better value for money,” Mr Cowin says.
He says there’s a whole eco-system of businesses that can deliver services targeted at Māori.