Poutama Trust Collaboration Hui

Collaboration among Maori, added-value and innovation in food are the themes for a hui to be held in Auckland tomorrow.

The hui is organized by the Poutama Trust and aims to bring together lower-mid tier Maori asset holding and treaty settlement groups as well as research organisations.

Poutama CEO, Richard Jones says that in discussions with Maori all have spoken about the need to collaborate therefore a key theme of the hui will be around moving talk of collaboration to making it happen. He says collaboration can occur at many levels from relationship development and networking to joint investment into identified and assessed commercial opportunities. This can be both in New Zealand and offshore.

The other theme of the hui is about increasing the awareness of the role science, research and technology play in food innovation. Richard goes on to say that if you look at Maori commercial activity from one end of the country to the other, much of it revolves around food production. In the main though this is generally at the commodity producing level.

The hui will have presentations on food innovation by niche Maori food producers and a site visit is to be made to the Manukau Food Innovation Centre. Sir Paul Callaghan will be the dinner guest speaker.

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