“Our mahi is to find and unleash new thinking and new solutions, new ways of making solutions stick and new ways of breaking the barriers to solutions,” said Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Whai Maia, Chief Executive, Rangimarie Hunia.

As a part of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency’s Māori Economies Empowering Whānau - Summit 2020, Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki presents ‘Te Pae Hiringa: The journey to Māori prosperity in Tāmaki’.

CEO of Te Whānau O Waipareira, John Tamihere explains, “this is a call to action to bring together a cross section of Maori business leaders, influences, contributors and experts to share information, analysis and strategies for action. The focus being on integrated social and economic Maori models going forward, that is encompassing of the emerging Maori SMEs. Models that also capture the emerging integrated innovation during COVID-19 and stimulating the Māori economy and creating employment for our people”.

The Summit in Tāmaki will shed light on the root cause for the one-billion-dollar employment gap in income for Tāmaki Makaurau and look for new ideas, methods and solutions to break the constraints that are currently compromising Māori employment.

“We must get out of the gate really quickly to ensure Māori are not left as an afterthought in the Post COVID recovery planning. Our Social Enterprises must align with our Economic and Commercial entities.” says WOCA Chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait.

“The task is not to fix this today … that’s too much to ask, but it is our task to combine our old thinking and new thinking to sow new seeds that will grow for the next generation. Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau Employment Summit is tasked with generating and planting those seeds,” says Hunia.

Te Pae Herenga o Tāmaki made up of six Whānau Ora partners are wanting to identify solutions and develop long-term plans that ensure the future of Māori is secure, and the welfare of communities are supported.

“As a collective partner, providing opportunities for Māori owned businesses to support Māori into employment or training is vital. We believe that all employment and wellbeing solutions should be by Māori, for Māori, with Māori,” says Tamihere.

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