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A background has "neoliberalism" written on it with elements form Pātea Māori Club's Poi E album cover overlayed.
Design: Liam Rātana

OPINIONĀteaAugust 5, 2024

Forty years after Rogernomics: Imagining an economy grounded in Māori values

A background has "neoliberalism" written on it with elements form Pātea Māori Club's Poi E album cover overlayed.
Design: Liam Rātana

Forty years on from the neoliberal economic reforms known as ‘Rogernomics’ were implemented in Aotearoa, advisor on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, environmental policy and engagement Jo Waitoa argues that it’s time to reform the economy again.

Aotearoa in 1984. Pātea Māori Club hit the music charts with Poi E, the first waiata Māori ever to do so. Written by Ngoi Pēwhairangi and music by Dalvanius Prime, the song spent 22 weeks in the music charts, with four of those weeks at number one.

This month we mark another significant date in 1984 – the fortieth anniversary of the snap election that brought in the fourth Labour Government. This period became synonymous with privatisation, deregulation and free market capitalism. The economy went from one of the most regulated in the OECD to one of the least.

In the United States and United Kingdom, the economic ideology was nicknamed Reaganism and Thatcherism, respectively. In Aotearoa, the beginning of our neoliberal era was Rogernomics.

Forty years later, trickle-down theory merely filled the cups of the wealthy few. Māori inequality started when the Crown undermined political and legal systems, and dispossessed land through theft and policy in the 19th and 20th centuries (5% or 1.4 million ha of Māori land remains today). This was compounded when waves of urban migration after World War II locked many Māori into low paid, and (so called) low skilled jobs. Most of those were jobs in government run industries so privatisation hit disproportionately hard. By 1992, Māori unemployment had reached 25% compared to the overall rate of 10%.

Widespread job losses led many to intergenerational dependence on state welfare which has further exacerbated inequality for whānau in health, education, and economic outcomes to name a few. This was coupled with the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) which also particularly impacted those on low incomes.

The economic system is not broken, it was designed this way. But that means it can be redesigned.

Economic growth at all costs will cost all our mokopuna their future, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It is not a foregone conclusion that the economic system is extractive and inequitable.

A common refrain across civil society is “what is good for Māori is good for everyone”. Kaupapa Māori frameworks have benefited communities across Aotearoa. For example, Te Whare Tapa Whā (a holistic health model) informs now informs mainstream approaches to health and wellbeing and the reciprocal “Ako: learner as teacher” model is a key principle in the study of teaching in this country.

The economy is no different.

Iwi capacity and access to resources is varied across Aotearoa (Photo: Manuel Ceneta/AFP via Getty Images)

An economy or economies based on manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga could set everyone up to live well, within connected communities and planetary boundaries. What if rāhui were respected and our ecosystems were regenerated, or our sense of obligation to each other meant that no one went hungry?

The devolved approach of the fourth Labour government was welcomed by some iwi leaders at the time and seen as an improvement from previous paternalistic attitudes. Positive Māori development was a focus at the 1984 Hui Taumata, Māori Economic Summit and was followed by a period more focused on self-sufficiency, with the devolution of several state functions (mainly health and social services) to iwi authorities.  It was questioned, however, whether this approach just allowed the Crown to abdicate its responsibilities to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Today, iwi capacity and access to resources is varied. Some are well funded organisations which deliver a wide range of services while others have to run mostly on aroha. Crown settlement processes which force groups to arrange themselves in unhelpful ways to seek redress may have created more issues than they solved. Now its often iwi facing calls for devolution. Hapū who are the kaitiaki and authority on the ground, now seek opportunities to make their own decisions with their own resources.  

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Meanwhile leaders might be criticised as “elites” who have bought into western economic imperatives in the pursuit of increasing returns. It is more nuanced than this though. Treaty settlement redress stands at about 2% of what was taken. Leaders have a responsibility to their tīpuna and their mokopuna but they are also faced with how to deliver for their people today, many of whom are doing it really tough. The vast economic inequality among Māori also illustrates the failure of the neoliberal project. 

People will argue it’s too big or too difficult to do anything different, but we already are. Wakatu Incorporated have a 500-year intergenerational plan. Communities across Aotearoa (and the world) have returned to localism. Food sovereignty initiatives have drawn attention to the need for resilient systems but are also an opportunity for people to learn skills and connect with where their food comes from. Para Kore for example supports organisations to grow their own food, divert waste from landfill and be a better ancestor.

There is of course much more required. There are many interests vested in the status quo. As Matthew Scobie and Anna Sturman noted in The Economic Possibilities of Decolonisation (2024), we need an economic transformation, similar to the constitutional transformation Aotearoa needs to create the future envisioned by those who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As usual, Matua Moana Jackson said it best: “Being courageous is just the deep breath you take before you start something difficult.”

We can reimagine the economy. We just need imagination and courage.

Keep going!
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Design: Liam Rātana

ĀteaAugust 2, 2024

‘It feels like we are being attacked’: Iwi leaders send strong message to government

Vasrious government ministers cropped on a blue background with the word 'FAIL' in bright red stamped over the top.
Design: Liam Rātana

The prime minister and senior ministers have faced a grilling at the Iwi Chairs Forum hui in Tāmaki Makaurau, with a resolution passed that they won’t be invited back until things change.

Frictions between Māori and the coalition government appear to be at a new high, with the Iwi Chairs Forum deciding it will not invite the government back to another hui for the foreseeable future.

Around 80 iwi leaders have spent the last two days gathered together at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau. The board chairs from around the country were joined by their respective iwi chief executives, as well as pakeke and rangatahi from iwi across the country for the third forum hui of the year.

The Iwi Chairs Forum, founded in 2005, is made up of the chairs of close to 80 iwi from around Aotearoa who come together four times a year to discuss various issues of national significance. There are five pou, or areas of focus, for the forum: tikanga, tangata, tahua, taiao, and take āhuarangi. Historically, members of the government only attended forums held at Waitangi but have been attending on a more regular basis in recent years.

In preparation for the government’s attendance today, the forum spent yesterday afternoon debating exactly what the chairs’ message to the government should be. While there was agreement around the dissatisfaction with policies and treatment of Māori issues, the iwi leaders had varied opinions on the best course of action.

“They’ve heard us and shown us that they can’t hear,” Aperahama Edwards, chair of Ngāti Wai, told the forum.

Mane Tahere, chair of Te Rūnanga ā-iwi ō Ngāpuhi, said his iwi would leave the forum while the kōrero with the government took place and encouraged others to follow suit. Makere Mutu, chair for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kahu, said the forum had been “too polite” and called for a more stern response to governmental policies, including the exploration of ideas arounds sanctions against the government. However, other chairs such as Katie Murray from Te Rarawa said smaller iwi seldom had opportunities to engage with senior members of the government and valued any chance to do so. Murray also questioned the point of not engaging with the government at the hui when many of the forum’s members were likely to do so outside of the forum anyway.

After an afternoon of debate, a resolution was proposed by Willie Te Aho, chair of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, to not invite the government to any future forums until “circumstances have appropriately changed”. The resolution was successful, passing with a seven-vote margin.

‘He mea tautoko nā ngā mema atawhai. Supported by our generous members.’
Liam Rātana
— Ātea editor

Another issue discussed on the first day of the hui was the relevance and function of the Iwi Chairs Forum, and the need for ongoing collaboration. The second day had been spent discussing the economic potential of the forum, including an open invitation from Ngāti Whātua Orākei for all iwi to coinvest in its multimillion-dollar partnership with Precinct Properties to redevelop Auckland Downtown Carpark into Te Tomokanga ki Tāmaki – The Gateway to Auckland – a 56-storey skyscraper with areas for retail and eateries. The invitation was warmly received by those in attendance, with many iwi leaders emphasising a need for ongoing collaboration in areas such as business, finance and housing.

“We have over 25% of the Māori population here in Tāmaki, we need to figure out ways to empower and grow our whānau businesses,” said Ngārimu Blair, deputy chair of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Trust.

Day two began with Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa and Ngāti Manuhiri walking out of the forum before the government’s official arrival. The remaining iwi were split into six regional groups to have sit-downs with several ministers, including prime minister Christopher Luxon, Erica Stanford, Paul Goldsmith, Simon Watts, Mark Mitchell, Chris Bishop, Penny Simmonds, Casey Costello, Todd McClay and Tama Potaka. Notably missing were Winston Peters, Shane Jones and David Seymour. Each rōpu was allocated 20 minutes to engage with the ministers over issues important to their regions and iwi.

Christopher Luxon began with a grilling from Te Tai Tokerau iwi, which was probably not the best table to try an assertive approach with.

Shane Jones and David Seymour were noticeable absentees at the most recent Iwi Chairs Forum hui (Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

Paul Goldsmith was told in no uncertain terms by Margaret Mutu that Māori had never ceded sovereignty, in response to saying that he wasn’t up for a debate about sovereignty and whether the Crown had a right to govern the nation.

Chris Bishop was questioned about the equitable distribution of funds relating to roading infrastructure, with the example of the Brynderwyns and the Mangamuka Gorge being used. He acknowledged the issue and said the government was committed to exploring the potential of a “golden quadrangle” between Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland and Northland. Bishop was also encouraged to ensure contracts were given to local companies, so the money remained within the regions where the work was being done.

Potaka encouraged greater collaboration among iwi, especially regarding procurement opportunities. He highlighted the ability of iwi to assert their rangatiratanga in spaces such as conservation.

Mitchell was told gangs were a product of the state’s failures to provide adequate support for those in its care. The minister for corrections and of police was challenged to focus on fixing the root causes of the gangs, as opposed to dedicating so many resources to punishment.

After two hours of intense – and at times, uncomfortable – roundtable conversations, the forum came to its conclusion.

“I need to speak to you very frankly,” is how Marama Royal, chair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, began her final message to the ministers in attendance. She went on to express the forum’s concerns about the government not taking steps to address the 11 expectations they set at their first hui of the year in Waitangi. She encouraged the government to bring the forum along as partners on their Te Tiriti journey. “We feel we are being ignored… This is not how partnership works. It does feel very personal and it feels like we are being attacked,” Royal said.

The prime minister then took the lectern to address the forum as a whole. He acknowledged the issues highlighted by the forum, including concerns over the legislative changes to the Marine and Coastal Act, calls for further devolvement of resources and power, ongoing investment and support, infrastructure, and the economic potential of regions such as Northland. Luxon expressed his eagerness to partner with members of the forum to help solve some of the issues talked about.

The final act of the day was the handing over of the mauri of the forum from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to Ngāti Kahungunu, complete with rousing waiata and haka. Iwi leaders then took their chance to grab the ears of relevant ministers before having a kai. Sadly, it seems Luxon and a majority of his other ministers hadn’t learnt from the example of Jacinda Ardern, who, when she was prime minister in 2018, failed to remain and share kai with members of the forum. Tama Potaka and Mark Mitchell appeared to know better, however, choosing to stick around and join their hosts for a kai. Potaka even jumped up to help sing the Ngāti Porou anthem Paikea as a thanks to the hosts for the kai.

This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.