The student of ICL Business school got the opportunity to visit the Te Tahawai

Marae which is located on grounds of Edgewater college in Manukau, Auckland.

This was a good way to find out more about the Maori people and their long and
rich history and cultural heritage. At the same time, we were also able to see the
various types of arts in the form carvings which were at display at the Marae. It
gave us ideas about the tikanga or the Maori way of life which in its own way is
quite unique (Duff, 2015). There were many chances of gaining new learning
especially when you are coming from a country like India with such a diverse
culture.

The Maori values are as follows

1.Mana

The term mana is related to power, authority and control. For the Maori people it
is considered to be a very scared thing and some believe might even come
straight from the gods. Many thinks of it as a great honour to get mana. One
simply cannot just get Mana, you have to earn it through the way you act. It is
having a lot of importance in the Maori culture (Hanson, 1989).

In the western culture, such values are no longer followed. Here the importance
of money and power influence who get the chance to be able to lead the
company.

2. Tapu

The Maori are very spiritual people and believe that there are some things and
some location which are very sacred and should be stayed away from. They also
think that the Tapu is a protective force which will help them all the way through
in their lives. There are certain rules and restrictions which ensure that the
people stay away from certain locations as they are considered religious (Bridge
& Mcleod, 2016).

In the western culture, there are very few places which face type of restriction,
the culture is more explorative and with the advent of technology people have
begun to question all aspects on cultures.

3. Whanaungatanga

The Maori family structure is one which is very collective and ensures that the
family stays together no matter how big the size of the same. The community
too is an essential part of the Maori way of life. The term comes from the Maori
Word Whanau which means family. It talks about creating and sustaining
relationships among the kin, these relationships are formed on the basis of being
in the family together. There is a huge stress on ensures that the siblings bond
together and stay with each other (Oranewzealand.com, 2016).

In the western culture there is no such thing as parents want the children to get
along with each other and emphasize on the same, but after a certain age they
have limited control upon the children.
4. Rangatiratanga

Leader or the Chief is very important position to the Maori people. The chief is
not just anyone but someone who has the qualities and who has shown though
his acts and deeds that he is worthy of this honour. There have a been issues
regarding this recently in the Maori culture as it is the chiefs responsibility to
ensure the protection and preservation of the natural resources. This quality also
has a lot to do with the way the Maori people do their business. They are of the
view that the resources they have were given to them by their ancestors and it is
their duty to protect and preserve them, to use them in a way that they can be
passed on to the next generation (Te Papa Tongarewa, 2016).

In the western culture, the leader is not just chosen on the basis of his actions or
deeds, instead he may be chosen because of his financial status. The natural
resources are not that important to them and the idea is to make money.

5. Kaitiakitanga

The Maori people think that we are all connected to the natural resources and
that there is a balance between us and the resources which can only be
maintained if we are willing to act in a way which ensures their protection. All
the flora and fauna, land and water are sacred things and need to be used in
such a way that they are sustained for the future. The relationship between man
and environment is one of the being the guardian of all the resources (New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise, 2016).

In the western culture, we can see that the environmental awareness is there,
but is sacrificed at times of money and prosperity of the people. This is where
the disparity lies in the behaviour and attitude of the people.

The Maori approach to business is also quite different from that of the traditional
approach to business.

The multiple bottom line of business success

It can be seen that is unlike their western counterparts, Maori businesses

measure their success not just in terms on the money they make but also in
terms of the environmental and social impact their business tends to have. There
are three categories which are used by businesses in their annual reports as well
to see how they did and what type of an impact they had on all three criteria.
This becomes even more important in the case of businesses which are run on
the basis of assets that are owned by the community as a whole. There are trust
and companies which are run according to this concept and keep the
conservation of the natural resources as a high priority. In some case another
factor is also added to this process, it is the cultural or spiritual impact of the
businesses which is being done. In this case the performance is measured
against the cultural integrity of the place.
The traditional approach to business is based on the financial impact and how
much profit the organisation is able to accumulate over a time period (Miller,
2016).

Origin or reason for being in the business

For any business one very important question is why they in business or as in
Maori language the Ptake. While the primary reason for being in business for
the Maori people is the same as the others which to sell goods and services and
make money. At the same time, there is also a difference in the way the Maori
businesses which are based on resources owned by a community work and look
at not just making a profit but the overall success of the business in terms of
protection of tribal land or rivers (Morgan , 2016).

In the traditional businesses, the reason for being in business is to make a profit
and earn a living for themselves. It is about growth and expansion for the
business which is why people are in business.

Structure of the business

This is again a point of difference which helps the Maori businesses in standing
out from the others. The businesses which are created on the basis of resources
owned by the community like a trust or a charitable trust. This then leads to
specific laws which govern the way in which the business in run. The various
trust which uphold the conservation of the environment as key goal also aim to
make a profit but not at the cost of causing any damage to the land or natural
resources (Te Tumu Paeroa, 2016).

On the other hand, the traditional business structures are motivated more by
financial concerns rather than anything else and then try to mould the business
structure so that the company make a good profit.

Hangarau

Another important quality in the way the Maori people conduct their business is
Hangarau or the use of technology in such a way that is mixed with the
traditional methods to bring in the maximum benefit to the business. Contrary to
popular belief the Maori people are at the front of pursuing technology in
business and have been using the same to ensure progress not just for business
but for innovation to utilise the Maori sciences and knowledge. There is a lot of
potential in the vast resource base which exits in Maori History and culture. The
traditional approaches to business are based on the use of technology for
making the business profitable but do not focus on the development of the
community (Mbie.govt.nz, 2016).

Tikanga

The priorities in a business are also very important and guide what the business
chooses to achieve first in its list of priorities. While for the traditional business
model is money and financial; success. The Maori businesses focus more of the
welfare of the people and creating relationship which ensure care and
reciprocation from both the parties. The concept of Manaakitanga or hospitality is
also part of the Maori way of life and the same can be seen in the way in which
they do their business (Statistics New Zealand , 2011).

Therefore, it can be concluded that while the traditional businesses have an

intent for financial welfare the Maori businesses have a more rounded point of
view for business and look at other aspects like the environment, society and the
culture to see how well their business is performing.

Reference List

Bridge, T., & Mcleod, H. (2016). Mori Concepts about the Land and Sacred.
Retrieved from Labyrinthsnz.com: http://www.labyrinthsnz.com/#/maori-
concepts/4560132023

Duff, C. (2015, March 30). Students Welcomed On Marae. Retrieved from

Newsbeat.kiwi: http://www.newsbeat.kiwi/2015/03/30/students-welcomed-
marae/

Hanson, A. (1989). The Making of the Maori: Culture Invention and Its Logic.
American Anthropologist, pp. 890902.

Mbie.govt.nz. (2016, August 19). Science for Technological Innovation - Kia

kotahi mai - Te Ao Ptaiao me Te Ao Hangarau. Retrieved from
Mbie.govt.nz: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/science-
innovation/national-science-challenges/science-for-technological-
innovation

Miller, D. R. (2016). Western and Mori Values for Sustainable Development.

Retrieved from Firstfound.org: http://www.firstfound.org/david
%20miller.htm

Morgan , P. (2016). Investigating Key Characteristics of a Maori Business for

Future Measures. Retrieved from tpk-keybusnessmeasures.com: tpk-
keybusnessmeasures.pdf

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. (2016). How NZTE can help. Retrieved from
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tikanga-maori-cultural-kit/manaakitanga-kaitiakitanga-hospitality-
guardianship/
Oranewzealand.com. (2016). About Whanaungatanga. Retrieved from
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1/maori-healing-concepts/about-whanaungatanga.html

Statistics New Zealand . (2011, July 04). Mori Language Week 2011
Manaakitanga in Aotearoa. Retrieved from Stats.govt.nz:
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/maori/
maori-language-week-2011.aspx

Te Papa Tongarewa. (2016). The content of the Treaty. Retrieved from

Treaty2u.govt.nz: http://www.treaty2u.govt.nz/the-treaty-up-Close/the-
content-of-the-treaty/index.htm

Te Tumu Paeroa. (2016). Types of trusts. Retrieved from Tetumupaeroa.co.n:

http://www.tetumupaeroa.co.nz/types-of-trusts