YEA Data Points

Seumas Fantham on Māori employment and training

“Every rangatahi deserves to take part in our community and workforce. It is critical to prosperity, wellbeing and equity for all. By 2038 one fifth of the working age population will be Māori. The rangatahi of today are the workforce of tomorrow, and this is why the Todd Foundation supports systems change initiatives in the youth employability space like YEA.

Could more procurement from, and investment in the Māori economy be a way to improve labour market equity?” – Seumas Fantham, Executive Director of Todd Foundation

Te Matapaeroa (2019) research highlighted that sustained investment in Māori businesses and capability building is needed to continue the growth of the Māori economy and Māori participation in the New Zealand economy.

The research confirms the existence of more than 10,000 economically significant Māori-owned businesses – eight times more than previously reported. The data, based on 2019 (pre-COVID) information, includes 1,300 Māori-owned enterprises, previously identified by Statistics NZ, and 8,800 newly identified businesses, where at least 51% of wages paid to directors, partners or active shareholders, was to individuals of Māori ethnicity or descent.

The research also identified further enterprise-related insights about Māori sole traders and rental income. The new approach unlocks a whole new level of insights, building on previous foundational research by BERL, Statistics NZ and other government and Māori partners.