Business and trade isn’t a new concept for Māori people: Business and trade is in our DNA.

Māori entrepreneurs and Māori assets helped create the New Zealand economy; we were there at the birth of our private sector. Before the Treaty, Māori led some of our first overseas trade missions, they helped establish our sheep industry, they exported produce direct to Sydney on their own ships. As we all know the Treaty of Waitangi changed the ground rules forever, but Māori enterprise – such as our iwi farms – remain some of this nation’s oldest, existing businesses. Māori have played a crucial role in the history of our nation’s economy and we are set to play a crucial role in its future as well.

Our Taniwha economy represents generations of families who’ve survived political and economic storms. Today we celebrate a set of strategic recommendations that will boost the Māori and NZ economy. Established in September 2011, the Panel’s origins can be traced back to the Māori Economic Summit I hosted in January 2009 and the resulting Māori Economic Taskforce. I challenged the Panel to design a strategy that improves the performance of the Taniwha economy and clarifies how Government can best contribute.

When thinking of our assets we must always be asking: What can we turn this into for future generations? How can we add value? How can we future proof this taonga? The Taniwha economy is already a commercial powerhouse, it’s no longer asleep: it’s wide awake and hungry for business. But we must feed her with innovation, science and ideas. We must ensure our own people are able to guide her into the future.

We welcome the strong support from Government, private and educational stakeholders across Aotearoa. Relationships are crucial to successful businesses. As Māori know and as the Crown now knows: relationships, partnerships are also key to growing successful communities and futures.

Our plan is about our people determining our own economic and social wellbeing. It’s about our education, employment, entrepreneurship – it’s about our rangatiratanga.

I look forward to forging new partnerships and strengthening old ones as we work to future proof our Taniwha economy, to strengthen our New Zealand economy for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, our grandchildren’s children.