New Zealand's Growth of the Māori Workforce and Entrepreneurs

From 2001 to 2006 (see table 1 below), the number of Māori entrepreneurs increased by 23.3%, which was marginally greater that the increase of 21.3 % for the total Māori workforce. The percentage of Māori entrepreneurs in the total Māori workforce remained near 10% in both 2001 and 2006. In other words, growth in Māori entrepreneurs has kept pace with the growth in the total Māori workforce (with a 0.2 percentage point improvement).

Table 1: Māori Entrepreneurs and the Māori Workforce in New Zealand, 2001 and 2006 Censuses

Workforce Status*	2001	2006	Absolute change	% change
Entrepreneurs	17,091	21,069	3,978	23.3
Paid Employee	156,723	189,483	32,760	20.9
Unpaid Family Worker	3,996	4,008	12	0.3
Not Elsewhere Included+	8,007	10,797	2,790	34.8
Total Māori workforce	185,820	225,357	39,537	21.3
% of entrepreneurs	9.6	9.8

Source: Statistics New Zealand’s, Census of Population and Dwellings, 2001 and 2006.

+Not Elsewhere included refers to those people in the workforce who did not state their employment status.

*Refers to people aged 15 years and over who are usually resident in New Zealand and employed in either the full-time or part-time labour force. It excludes people who are unemployed and seeking work, and those people not in the labour force.

Focus on Bay of Plenty Region

The Bay of Plenty region was selected because of its large proportion of Māori population in this region, and its contribution to New Zealand’s GDP. Its Māori population ranks third in size out of the 16 regions in New Zealand.

According to research by Statistics New Zealand (2006), the Bay of Plenty region contributed approximately 5.1% of New Zealand’s total GDP (at current prices) for year ended March 2003¹⁵. In 2006, the Māori ethnic group made-up 27.5% of people in the Bay of Plenty region, compared with 14.6% for all of New Zealand. However, at a national level in 2006 the Bay of Plenty region made-up 12.0% (or 67,662) of the total Māori population (565,329).

The number of Māori entrepreneurs (see table 2 below) had increased from 1,839 in 2001 to 2,274 in 2006. This is an increase of 23.7%, or increase of 435 Māori entrepreneurs.

The growth rate of Māori entrepreneurs of 23.7% (or an increase of 435), over this period, was slightly more than the 23.3% (or an increase of 3,978) growth in Māori entrepreneurs for New Zealand.

The Bay of Plenty region’s growth in the number of Māori entrepreneurs (435) accounted for 10.9% of the increase of Māori entrepreneurs across New Zealand (an increase of 3,978 overall). However, the increase in the Māori workforce in the Bay of Plenty region contributed approximately 12.4% of the total growth in the Māori workforce nationwide (39,537).

Table 2: Māori Entrepreneurs and the Māori Workforce* in the Bay of Plenty Region, 2001 and 2006 Censuses.

Workforce Status*	2001	2006	Absolute change	% change
Entrepreneurs	1.839	2,274	435	23.7
Paid Employee	17,022	21,081	4,059	23.8
Unpaid Family Worker	573	564	-9	-1.6
Not Elsewhere Included+	966	1,383	417	43.2
Total Māori workforce	20,400	25,302	4,902	24.0
% of entrepreneurs	9.5	9.5

Source: Statistics New Zealand’s, Census of Population and Dwellings, 2001 and 2006.

+ Not Elsewhere included refers to those people in the workforce who did not state their employment status.

* Refers to employed people aged 15 years and over who are usually resident in New Zealand and employed in either the full-time or part-time labour force. It excludes people who are unemployed and seeking work, and those people not in the labour force.

 

 

---

¹⁵ Refer to link: http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/statistics/publications/analytical-reports/regional%20gross%20domestic%20product/regional-gdp-research-report.aspx accessed on 18 September 2009.

• Back to Methodology
• Next: Increase in the Proportion of Māori Female Entrepreneurs