The Māori people of New Zealand have always been entrepreneurial to some degree. They have had to adapt to the circumstances they were forced into. In the 2013 New Zealand census, there were approximately 600,000 people in New Zealand identifying as Māori, making up roughly 15 percent of the national population. Heavily urbanized and integrated, they are very involved in the country’s business life.
Up until recently, Māori were not seen as entrepreneurial in business. According to one source, the mainstay of Māori livelihoods since the 1930s was employment in labouring jobs, such as professions in construction, forestry, fishing, health and education.
Over the last few decades, there has been an explosion in Māori entrepreneurship and business involvement. Of all the Indigenous peoples in this series, the Māori have become the most entrepreneurial and the most involved in New Zealand’s business sector.
View entire research paper here: FC-PS220_MaoriEntrep_NV1518_F1
