Maori urged to get ready for next leap

A leading academic has called for greater co-operation between iwi organisations and less reliance on Government funding.

Massey University's assistant vice-chancellor Professor Mason Durie said yesterday at the Hui Taumata in Wellington it was time the growing number of iwi organisations involved in initiatives such as health and tribal management started to work together.

"Reference has already been made to the greatly increased numbers of Maori providers, operating from a tribal base or from the community within."

He said a mindset of prizing independence and of being "suspicious of their neighbours" had developed.

This proliferation of "independent semi-autonomous Maori organisations" wasted valuable resources when organisations should be sharing information and learning from each other.

Prof Durie said it was also important to move beyond simply being involved in education.

"And the focus on historic [treaty] settlements ... trapped Maori energies into the past at the expense of the future." Instead, a dedicated commitment to plan two or three decades ahead was needed.

Although social and cultural policies had not been ignored, they had often been kept separate from economic policies.

He was critical of Maori dependence on entering partnerships solely with the Government, rather than private enterprise, off-shore partners or other Maori organisations.

He said between 1984 and 2004 Maori participation and access had been important goals.

"There was spectacular increases in the level of participation in education, health care Maori language learning, business, sport, music, film and television and information technology.

But he said access was no longer sufficient, the emphasis was shifting to best outcomes and high achievement.

He called for higher expectations in the quality and skills of Maori leaders.

"Rapid growth has required [Maori] workers to learn skills and straddle several positions [within iwi organisations] often without formal training. Sometimes unrealistic expectations of senior leadership has been thrust on them."

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu chief executive Tahu Potiki said Kiwis traditionally punched above their weight.

"This translates into a charming naivety within Maoridom that we have the necessary talent within our own ranks to make all the strategic, political and commercial decisions required to keep developing."

It was an attitude that denied access to "a much deeper pool of expertise".

There could be poor communication between the Maori/iwi political leadership and those charged with commercial responsibilities, who were often confronted with multiple expectations and mixed messages.

Commercial arms were often hampered by a desire for "low risk conservative investments" and attachments to assets such as land.

"The catch cry "not one more acre!" has contaminated our ability to think outside the box when it comes to investment."

As beneficiary rolls increased, iwi would come under greater pressure to return dividends from settlement investments to individuals, which in itself might force investment rethinks, he said.

Business Roundtable chairman Rob McLeod said if the unemployment and income gaps between Maori and Pakeha were closed, an extra $41 billion would be pumped into the Maori economy - far more than Treaty settlements would ever deliver. This highlighted the importance of education and skills, he said.

- additional reporting Ruth Berry