(Abridged Speech from the Launch of the Strategy and Action Plan)

Transforming Māori economic fortunes now and into the future is one of the greatest challenges facing our families: It’s also one of our greatest opportunities.

“Whaia te pae tawhiti: seek the distant horizon.” Reach out for opportunity. Realise your dreams.

Our panel is calling for an economic revolution within our families; we are planning for intergenerational change. When it comes to inspirational role models as we plan for the future: we have only to look to our own past. The waka of my own Ngāti Kahungunu people, Tākitimu, was not only a great, ancestral voyaging canoe: it was renown throughout the Pacific as a major trading vessel. This spirit was alive when Pākehā arrived in Aotearoa - Māori entrepreneurs helped create this country’s private sector: let us never forget that our country’s agricultural sector was founded on Māori land and resources.

At the heart of our Taniwha economy are Māori people: generations of us. We must harness the potential within our young and fast growing population and take them with us on this exciting journey.

What’s good for Māori New Zealanders is good for all New Zealanders. Boosting the success of our businesses will help strengthen the economic future of all New Zealanders, not just Māori.

The Strategy is about having the resilience and self-reliance to shape our future.

He kai kei aku ringa – to provide the food you need with your own hands.