Māori culture has helped open lucrative doors to the Chinese market. Photo: Eruera Walker, courtesy of Manatū Taonga
New research has concluded that instinctive Māori approaches could hold the key to future success for New Zealand in the Chinese market.
The report - titled Te Hono a te Ao Māori ki a Haina: Māori approaches to engagement with China past, present, future - was commissioned by the New Zealand China Council.
The report surveyed links between Māori and Chinese, from the ancient migration of Māori's Polynesian ancestors from Asia to the arrival of Chinese migrants in New Zealand, as well as the two people's exchange in trade, sport, art, technology and medical research.
Authors at Ace Consulting drew on relevant literature, as well as interviews with Māori and tauiwi (non-Māori) who have knowledge about Māori engagement with China.
The report said Māori culture and relationship management had helped open lucrative doors to the Chinese market and encouraged Māori to continue using tikanga (culture, custom) to strengthen economic ties with China and explore new opportunities in other areas.
"The relationship between Māori and Chinese business partners extends beyond economic transactions, reflecting deeper cultural connections based on shared values like manaakitanga (hospitality) and whanaungatanga (relationality)," the report said.
"The cultural dimension sets Māori enterprise apart, allowing its offerings to be more readily accepted in China," it said.
When asked about what Māori should prioritise when engaging with China, participants identified trade, tourism, culture as well as creative industries of art, fashion and digital storytelling, according to the report.
John McKinnon, chair of the New Zealand China Council, said Māori business and Māori interaction with China was an important part of New Zealand's economy but didn't always get the attention that needed.
Māori businesses go into China with an advantage in terms of their cultural backgrounds, but that doesn't mean they don't have to do their due diligence and go through the same processes that many other businesses go through, he said.
"We would like to think that [the report] would give confidence to Māori businesses to test their ways or test what they offer in terms of their business in China," he said.
"We would also like to think that will be helpful to Chinese businesses coming to New Zealand to be able to have a ... better understanding of the world in which they are coming into."
McKinnon said that would benefit New Zealand as a whole.
Jason Mika, lead author of the report, said the ties between Māori and Chinese were both "ancient and current", and there were a lot of shared values between the two peoples.
Despite the growing trade, Mika reminded Māori people to be prepared and enhance their understanding of the Chinese market.
"We can't go in there with assumptions," Mika said. "We have to go in there with respect and a willingness to partner with people who have that knowledge."
Mika also said the relationship between Māori and China was not just about money.
"It's not just about trade and goods and services and commerce," he said. "It's also about the exchange of ideas, the exchange of people and the exchange of human potential through education and research and so forth."
Nearly half of all Māori exports were destined for the Chinese market, the report said.
However, Māori exports to China have declined from $347 million in 2018 to $239 million in 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, it said.
