Kaitiaki-centred business models: Case studies of Māori marine-based enterprises in Aotearoa NZ

It examines aspects of their operations that have a resonance with kaitiaki-centred business models. The case studies are:

• Ngāi Tahu Seafoods – a large iwi fishing company
• Moana New Zealand – the largest Māori-owned fishing company
• Iwi Collective Partnership – a collective of iwi fisheries organisations
• Ngāti Kahungunu – a tribe with a range of fisheries assets
• Whakatōhea – an iwi with aquaculture and fisheries interests
• Aotearoa Clams – a Māori-owned startup fishing company

Some kaitiaki-centred models or approaches are formalised within Māori fishing businesses while others emerge out of informal governance arrangements that reduce take for long-term sustainability.

These case studies suggest that where Māori have more control they manage things better. This in turn suggests that the Māori marine economy would benefit if kaitiaki-centred business models were recognised and formalised to allow fishers to control the quota allocation process and set their own boundaries.

June 2019