Press release from Te Puni Kōkiri
Te Puni Kōkiri has signed agreements with the Māori Women’s Development Inc. (MWDI) and NZ Māori Tourism (NZMT) today ahead of plans to invest more than $15 million into both agencies over the next three years.
TPK chief executive Michelle Hippolite said the agency had a major commitment to smart and innovative investment that supports Māori-led development and better outcomes for whānau, hapū and iwi Māori.
“Both MWDI and NZMT are leading lights in their field of work and share a track record of success and commitment to get more Māori into business.”
The agreement between MWDI and Te Puni Kōkiri will invest $3.7m over the next two years in mentoring, advice and support services so more Māori women can start new enterprise or expand their existing enterprises. A great example of their mahi is HineBoss, a programme that supports business set up and boosting business back to where the owners want them to be.
Meanwhile the agreement between Te Puni Kōkiri and NZMT gives effect to the Budget 17 commitment that extends their current annual investment by $10 million over 4 years.
The investment will allow NZMT to support high quality Māori tourism businesses seeking a sustained presence in cultural tourism; and will allow it to maintain a tighter focus on developing Māori tourism in the regions. The agency will also promote Māori values and Māori tourism experiences to the world as a platform to enhance NZ Inc.
Michelle Hippolite said co-investment with Māori-led developments produced outcomes of considerable benefit - not just to whānau - but to the entire country as well.
The Māori economy and asset base has grown significantly over the previous years. In 2001 the asset base of the Māori economy was estimated at $9.4 billion, in 2013 it was estimated to have reached $42.6 billion. The Māori economy is a significant and increasingly important participant and contributor to New Zealand’s economy. These two partnerships will continue to add value at the national and local level.
