Finding Common Ground

nā Adrienne Rewi.

Kotahitanga lies at the heart of Iwi Chairs Forum aspirations.

"It's all about enhancing the ability of iwi to work together where we have commonalities and to share our experiences for the benefit of everyone who participates," says Professor Margaret Mutu (Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua). Mutu is a professor of Māori Studies at Auckland University and chair of Ngāti Kahu's mandated iwi authority since 2001.

The forum is made up of powerful chairmen and women of iwi authorities, who collectively represent more than 400,000 Māori – more than two-thirds of the Māori population.

"The whole aim of the forum is to enable iwi to work together towards a solid economic base, to enable Māori to become a significant economic force within Aotearoa," she says.

Originally convened at Takahanga Marae, Kaikōura in 2005, the Iwi Chairs' Forum meets four times a year, each time at a different marae. "At our Waitangi hui in February we had 26 iwi present. More recently we had 46. It's proving to be a very good information provider," says Mutu.

"Of course the whole idea came out of Ngāi Tahu and at our first Kaikōura hui we sat down with the Whale Watch team. They were able to tell us about the barriers they faced and how they overcame them. I'm from a coastal iwi, so I found that model very helpful and informative. What I like is the fact that everything is upfront. There's no bullshit. Everyone is open and there are no agendas."

Professor Mutu, who is also chair of both her marae (Karikari in the Far North and Kapehu in North Wairoa), is also the director of Ngāti Kahu Corporate Ltd and Ngāti Kahu Mortgage Services.

She believes Māori business will develop in a number of different ways.

"We're doing well in the fishing industries and we have a number of other very successful Māori individuals who keep a very low profile and go about helping others quietly. They're a significant force, and I hope the day will come when this country can move beyond its deeply embedded racism and that these individuals will then be proud to stand up as successful Māori business operators.

"We also have to be innovative about how we put our Treaty settlements to use … and we need to move beyond a focus on primary industries. Ultimately, I'd like to see Māori become the country's biggest landlord and that's quite on the cards." .

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