Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 

Maori and Native Canadian trade deal on the horizon

November 6, 2011

Maori and Native Canadian trade deal on the horizon

New Zealand's largest Maori business network is working with their indigenous equivalent in Canada in the hope to reach a trade agreement that will take Maori business to another part of the world.

Talks between the Native Investment and Trade Association (NITA) and the Federation of Maori Authorities are currently underway, says FoMA's chairperson Traci Houpapa.

The subject is likely to attract major interest at FoMA's national conference Te Aka Whiri Ki Te Ao in Tauranga this weekend [November 11-13], in which more than 400 Maori business people, trustees, entrepreneurs, hapu and iwi leaders have already registered to attend.

"Maori have always traded with our neighbours across the Asia-Pacific region and we are exploring opportunities for First Nation Trade Agreements," Ms Houpapa said.

"Enduring relationships are the cornerstone to trade between indigenous peoples and nations. We take a long term, intergenerational view so we have time to get to know one another and to build strategic partnerships based on shared culture and values.

"Our culture shapes our commercial thinking and business approach. For Maori, good business is about what's best for our people," Ms Houpapa said.

NITA president Calvin Helin will be among the guest speakers at the conference. Helin is a bestselling author, international speaker, entrepreneur, lawyer, activist for self-reliance and an unlikely success story for someone who had an impoverished childhood and who grew up in a remote Native American village.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The son of a hereditary chief, Helin's first book, Dances with Dependency: Out of Poverty through Self-Reliance, was based on his own experiences and written to help eradicate the kind of poverty he faced as a child. With his new book The Economic Dependency Trap: Breaking Free to Self-Reliance, Helin speaks to what he calls "the most deceptive pandemic of the 21st Century," providing a plan for transforming economic dependency into healthier outcomes across all echelons of society - from minority groups, to middle class Americans. The later book was a finalist in the 2011 USA Best Books Awards.

FoMA represents around 150 Maori authorities, most of which have between 100 to 5000 shareholders.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
GenPro: General Practices Begin Issuing Clause 14 Notices

GenPro has been copied into a rising number of Clause 14 notices issued since the NZNO lodged its Primary Practice Pay Equity Claim against General Practice employers in December 2023.More

SPADA: Screen Industry Unites For Streaming Platform Regulation & Intellectual Property Protections

In an unprecedented international collaboration, representatives of screen producing organisations from around the world have released a joint statement.More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.