The International Day of the World’s Indigenous celebrates its 20th anniversary today and we commemorate those global partnerships working to improve the quality of life for indigenous people.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document that has underpinned relations between Māori and Pākehā since 1840. The subsequent settlements and burgeoning Māori Renaissance are catalysts for the cultural and economic revival of our Indigenous people.
Through my thesis on Māori entrepreneurship, explicit tensions were found with Māori navigating traditional and western values, and new world businesses struggling to understand the cultural practices of Māori.
Jeromy van Riel, of Dutch ancestry and raised in New Zealand, shares his animated story of acceptance and connection with Māori, bridging the gap between genealogy and identity. Jeromy is role model of non-indigenous embracing the three principles of the Treaty of Waitangi: Partnership, Participation and Protection.
At DiverseNZ we advocate the business case for diversity and have a particular interest in working effectively with iwi and Māori businesses. In fact this is the theme of our upcoming Critical Issues Forum.
As Aotearoa becomes increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse, we encourage the business community to utilise the principles of the Treaty and co-create sustainable and profitable business models with Indigenous.
We’re also interested in hearing your stories of working effectively with indigenous communities, such as Māori.