M¯aori at advantage in Asia links
I’m going to be unabashed in my promotion of a piece of good news this week. We now have the data to show that Ma¯ ori can succeed in their engagement with Asia and Asian peoples – and already are.
Last week we released a piece of research which mirrors our general survey on New Zealanders’ perceptions of Asia, Perceptions of Asia and Asian People from a Te Ao Ma¯ ori Perspective.
It showed some similarities – both reports show New Zealanders, including Ma¯ ori, feel that tourism from Asia is going to have a positive impact; both surveys show that New Zealanders are more interested in Asian food than Asian sports.
But in this research we also explored the cultural connections Ma¯ ori might have with Asian cultures. It confirmed what we had guessed and were aware of anecdotally – there is a strong affinity to build on.
When we asked Ma¯ ori which cultures – including non-Asian cultures – they shared similar values with, Japan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and India came out on top. Only three per cent felt they had shared cultural values with the United Kingdom.
In talking about the research with people, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern: non-Ma¯ ori are surprised by the findings, and Ma¯ ori are not.
We don’t need to tell Ma¯ ori how important Asia is. Exports Executive director, Asia New Zealand Foundation
to Asia and Asian tourism have long been strong themes in Nga¯ i Tahu’s business strategies, for instance. And last month Ngahiwi Tomoana (Nga¯ ti Kahungunu) from the National Iwi Chairs Forum spoke about the need for Ma¯ ori to draw on their ancestral connections with China to build stronger relationships. The recent Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival was translated into Mandarin as well as English.
We’ve seen it for ourselves here at the foundation too.
When we sent music teacher Brent Strathdee-Pehi to Indonesia on an exchange a couple of years ago, he described the whole experience as ‘‘profound’’ but was particularly blown away by the connections between Ma¯ ori and Indonesian cultures.
Brent said he’d known from his earlier travels that Southeast Asian peoples were like long-lost cousins, but the similarities with Indonesian culture were so striking it felt like he’d found long-lost siblings.
The importance many Asian cultures place on respect for elders, whanau, food, music, humour among other values seem to mean that often Ma¯ ori get it in a way that some others may not.
NZ Goodness founder Richard King (Nga¯ puhi, Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa) is one of the entrepreneurs we’ve supported to get their start in Asia.
After a trip to Singapore and Malaysia in 2017, his Moonbar is sold by Asia’s largest health and beauty care chain, Watsons, and is the exclusive energy bar for players at China’s Wuhan Open. To King, the research makes sense.
He told us that Ma¯ ori journey to Asia with the view that they’re making friends first, they’re building connections. It’s the same way many Asian cultures approach business.
It’s important to acknowledge these perspectives at a time when some of our relationships in Asia are maturing and becoming more complex.
As I have said often, relationships with Asia have to mean more than ‘‘we want to sell you stuff’’.
In business, arts, journalism, diplomacy and education, positive relationships and mutual understanding lay a strong foundation for success – Ma¯ ori may have the edge on this work.
We’re going to be picking up steam on the work we’re doing to make sure Ma¯ ori are accessing our opportunities, and we are challenging others to do the same.
Relevant to the work ahead is that despite feeling cultural affinity, Ma¯ ori have low selfperceived knowledge of Asian peoples and cultures – fewer than 20 per cent felt they knew at least a fair amount about Asia, compared to a third among the general population.
While more than half see the benefit of engaging economically and culturally with Asia – fewer felt Ma¯ ori benefited from this.
Eight out of 10 surveyed felt it was important for the future workforce to be confident with Asian cultures. Only eight per cent of those surveyed thought enough was being done to equip Ma¯ ori business to succeed in Asia.
New Zealand’s future (and present) is undoubtedly tied with Asia, and we need to ensure Ma¯ ori are included in work to prepare for that – they can clearly teach non-Ma¯ ori a thing or two.