Maori businesses form a significant and growing part of our economy. As a reflection of this growing importance, for the first time in 2014, the Deloitte Top 200 includes a separate list of the nine top Maori business entities based on total asset value.
While we approached a larger number of Maori organisations, in Maori culture it is generally frowned upon to talk publicly about one's success -- Kaore te kumara e whaakii ana tana reka (The kumara does not say how sweet he is). We respect that some of the organisations we approached took this view, declining to be included. But we feel it is vitally important to recognise and celebrate business success in Aotearoa. By recognising the success of Maori companies and their people through the Deloitte Top 200 Awards, we hope to provide more positive role models for other Maori businesses.
Some of the organisations on the inaugural list may not be what most people would intuitively describe as a Maori company.
Deciding whether a business is a "Maori company" can be subjective. In our view, it is not only about being a Maori Trust or Incorporation. In fact, some of those entities do little that would define them as "businesses."
For the purposes of the Deloitte Top 200 we have taken the more general view that the so-called Maori economy is made up of all those businesses where "Maori-ness" matters. First, an organisation needs to identify as Maori. Then we look more closely at four attributes; stakeholders, kaupapa, ownership and results -- what we call the Maori business SKOR.
