Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po is set to host over 170 leaders from across Aotearoa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific in the first-of-its-kind indigenous investment summit.
The Ōhanga ki te Ao investment summit and Kohinga Koha expo will be held in Hamilton on Saturday, bringing global partners together to boost investment and advance Māori economic leadership.
“He tūapapa whakapakari i a tatou ki tenei whenau katahi ka torotoro atu ki ngā huanga o te ao ko te korēro a Tāwhio ka tae mai nga topito o te ao,” Kiingitanga spokesperson, Rahui Papa, told Te Ao Māori News.
“Ki whakakinakihia enei whakaara o to tatou kuini i ana haere ki Dubai ona haere ki tāwāi ake nei na reira ko nga iwi o ahia ngai iwi o Aapito nga iwi o Amerika nga iwi o Kanata nga iwi o Ahia e tatuu mai ana ki runga ki a tatou i runga i te ahuatanga kua tu to ratou ringa ki te awhina ki te manaki i tenei kaupapa me te whakamiharo ake ko etahi o nga matanga tuahua o koniei ake nei.”
In 2023, the Māori economy contributed $32 billion to New Zealand’s GDP and held $126 billion in assets.
“Te kārero a Te Ariki Nui mana motuhaketia te pā harakeke, mana motuhaketia te āhua o te tahua ki roto i a tātou. Koinei te āhua kua kitea i roto i te wā iti nei.”
The expo will showcase Māori enterprise and innovation, with 100 businesses set to take part. It aims to strengthen local economies and build global partnerships, marking a new era of Māori-led economic leadership grounded in tikanga.
“Ōhanga ki te Ao is about securing Māori prosperity for generations to come, through collective action and purpose,” said Rukumoana Schaafhausen, another Kingitanga spokesperson.
In September, during Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po first koroneihana, she spoke about rejecting reliance on government support and instead building an independent Māori economic path.
“Ko ēnei kaupapa, a Ōhanga Ki Te Ao, me Tahua Kotahitanga, he moemoeā nō taku pāpā, me te tiketike hoki o aua moemoeā rā, heoi, pēnei i taku pāpā, ka tuarā pahore, ka taniwha nihorau hoki taku kōkiri i ēnei kaupapa kia rangatira ai, kāo, kia ariki ai i ahau ana ōhākī,” she said.
She says the economic initiatives were based on the vision of her father, Kiingi Tuheitia to help Māori achieve their aspirations of Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake.
“Ehara te mana motuhake i te kupu noa iho ki ahau, he oranga tēnei nōku. Ko taku pāpā te ika o tāna anō kaupapa, ā, e kore e moumou i ahau tana hā ki runga ki te whenua.”
