16 May 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maori Party President Hails Business Success

Congratulations to the four successful Maori men and women who won prizes in Auckland last week at the Aotearoa New Zealand Maori Business Leaders Awards, have been extended by the president of the Maori Party, Rangimarie Naida Glavish.

The four winners were:

Jason Witehira, owner of the Victoria Park New World supermarket and also chairman of the New World North Island supermarket owners' group, named outstanding Maori business leader.

Jamie Tuuta, the Maori Trustee, and chief executive of Te Tuma Paeroa, named young Maori business leader.

Miriana Stephens, a director of Wakatu Incorporation, named the Maori woman business leader.

Karen Vercoe, founder and managing director of KTV Consulting, awarded the Dame Mira Szaszy Maori Alumni Award.

“These four oustanding entrepreneurs are role models for our young people in demonstrating that Maori who dedicate themselves to education, vision and hard work can achieve success not just for themselves but also for those who become employees and shareholders in their various enterprises, and, indeed for the New Zealand economy as a whole,” said Ms Glavish.

The award for outstanding Maori business leadership was won by Ngai Tahu Holdings, with assets now exceeding $1.4 billion.

“Ngai Tahu have shown New Zealanders how wise use of a Waitangi Treaty settlement can and does benefit not just the recipient iwi whose historical grievances have been recognised, but how the transition from grievance mode to dynamic and innovative socio-economic development has been of benefit not just to themselves but to the whole of Aotearoa.

“In a post-Treaty settlement environment, the Maori Party is dedicated to political leadership in the Parliamentary environment that truly feels, knows and understands what that means and then with vision, wisdom and passion takes action to make progress on a number of fronts in order to better service the need to accelerate Maori development as its contribiution to New Zealand’s economy.

“The Business and Economic Research Māori Economy Report 2013, commissioned by Te Puni Kōkiri , valued the Māori asset base at $40 billion, of which significant amounts of Māori assets are oriented towards the primary sector and the export sector, including tourism. Māori own between 10 and 40 percent of key primary sectors, including red meat, dairy, kiwifruit, forestry, and seafood.”

Ms Glavish said she agrees with the sentiments expressed in Parliament last week by the National Party MP for Whangarei, Dr Shane Reti when he quoted a submitter to a Select Committee as saying: ‘Before you can distribute wealth, you have to create wealth.’

“The Maori Party will continue to represent and support those of our iwi and people who have made and will continue to make such outstanding contributions to the New Zealand economy,” Ms Glavish concluded.

Ends

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