Te Ara Maori - Maori Pathways to Recruitment, Training, Retention and Business Growth: An Analysis of Maori Employers

Abstract

Māori participation as employers in the national economy has grown rapidly over the past decade, contributing significantly to the Māori economy. For both the Māori economy and the wider New Zealand economy to continue to enjoy positive growth rates, on-going improvement in Māori human capital, (i.e. the up-skilling of the Māori labour force), and the enhanced development of a Māori employer base is necessary. This paper draws on the experiences of 30 Māori employers involved in a variety of industries across New Zealand conducted under the auspices of the FRST- funded Labour Market Dynamics Research Programme. The analysis focuses on employment-related issues that might affect the advancement of a growing Māori economy. This is all the more relevant in light of the finding that the Māori employers interviewed for this project demonstrated greater business confidence about the future of their organisations than non-Māori employers surveyed in the same study. Approaches to employment, staff training and retention, recruitment practices, desired employee characteristics and experiences as employers who are playing a much greater role in the economic arena, in part because of the Treaty of Waitangi settlements, are examined.