Maori Success in the Knowledge Economy
(extract from The Knowledge Economy", a submission to the New Zealand Government by the Minister for Information Technology's IT Advisory Group, August 1999)
Maori success in the knowledge economy is central to honouring the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly in respect of intellectual property rights, and full participation in society. This success will enable Maori to improve their well being, and provides a more solid foundation for national well being.
National well being and Maori well being are inseparable
National well being and the well being of Maori are inseparable. The more youthful and fertile nature of the Maori population, and the older and less fertile nature of the Pakeha population, means that Maori will be an increasing proportion of young and working age New Zealanders in the twenty-first century. Maori culture is unique to New Zealand. Maori participation in the knowledge economy provides an opportunity for New Zealand not only to promote Maori enterprises in the global economy but also to explore how this uniqueness can be used to distinguish New Zealand from other "western" societies and economies.
For Maori it is the "group" who owns important aspects of knowledge
Maori Relationship with Knowledge
The relationship between Maori and knowledge is different to that between Pakeha and knowledge. For Maori, it is the group (iwi or hapu) which owns important aspects of knowledge. In the Pakeha tradition the individual or firm owns knowledge. Maori place great importance on the concept of cultural property. These are the rights of cultural and ethnic groups to control of the knowledge and information created over generations by the group, and which should not be vested in an individual, and which in many instances are ineligible for protection under conventional intellectual property mechanisms.
These differences may present challenges to Maori as they become increasingly involved in the knowledge economy, and to Pakeha who seek to unilaterally use Maori knowledge. Maori desire to protect their knowledge, particularly when it is used for the commercial profit of other parties, (such as the healing properties of certain plants) and when their cultural knowledge (including images) is reproduced. These are not new issues for Maori communities. However, today's ease of reproduction and dissemination, in particular through the Internet, and the increased value of knowledge and content, have highlighted the problems faced by Maori in seeking to protect their property.
In many ways there is a tension between the objectives of an intellectual property rights regime and the aspirations of Maori in this respect. Equally there are pressures to keep intellectual property laws "separate" and, if protection is to be given to cultural property, to enact sui generis (stand alone) legislation (AJ Park & Son, 1997). As the Government is currently examining ways in which the existing regime could be adapted to meet some of the concerns of Maori, it is hoped that progress will be made in advancing appropriate use of Maori knowledge for both Maori and general economic well being.
Maori culture is very important for New Zealand branding
Unique Branding for Maori and for New Zealand
The more that Maori engage in discussions and debate around the knowledge economy, the more likely it is that some of the tensions between differences in the treatment of knowledge will be resolved. This is particularly important because, in addition to the commercial potential of particular aspects of Maori knowledge, Maori culture as a whole brands New Zealand as a distinctive South Pacific nation with a
unique indigenous tradition. In global economies, and in Internet commerce, nation-based brand distinctiveness is a significant asset.
Branding through Maori imagery can take place only with Maori agreement
Maori music, art and drama are already used to brand non-Maori New Zealand enterprises - the All Blacks' use of haka, and Air New Zealand's use of the koru, Maori waiata and people. However, Maori have deep concerns over cultural misappropriation, and are of the view that any branding of New Zealand through Maori imagery must take place only with the active agreement of Maori.
Current Employment Situation a Recent Phenomenon
Traditionally Maori employment was concentrated in commodity-based (primarily agriculture) and manufacturing industries. The restructuring of these industries has led to the situation of the last decade where Maori unemployment has been over three times that of non-Maori unemployment. Maori are now concentrated in the community service and wholesale/retail sectors, as Figure 4 highlights.
Figure 4: Maori and Non-Maori Representation by Industry
As a result, between 1986 and 1996 the inflation-adjusted median income of Maori men fell more than the rate for non-Maori, from $16,300 to $12,900; from 88.7 per cent of the median income of non-Maori, to 79.3 per cent. (Statistics New Zealand 1997c). This explains in part why Maori families spend less money than Pakeha families on information-gathering activities, such as publications, computers and the Internet. Less too is spent on private education and the rate of participation in tertiary education is lower. (Te Puni Kokiri, 1998b). Hence increasing Maori participation in the knowledge economy is critical to reducing their economic and social disadvantage.
The knowledge economy offers opportunities to redress Maori disadvantage
The importance of upskilling Maori to participate in a knowledge economy is already recognised by iwi use of Treaty of Waitangi settlement funds to provide tertiary education for their people.
Maori have a history of early technology adoption
In this context it is important to remember that in the initial decades of European settlement Maori readily adopted diverse forms of European technology, ranging from guns to books. Maori responded actively to trading opportunities, firstly within New Zealand, and then to New South Wales. (Sinclair, 1959; Dell, 1987; Walker, 1986). In addition, the decline in Maori labour market participation has been a relatively recent phenomenon as until the late 1980s, Maori had a higher rate of labour force participation than non-Maori (Te Puni Kokiri 1999). Hence the issue now is clearly one of lack of access to relevant skill development and employment opportunities.
Needs to Change for Nation's Well Being
Maori and Pakeha population patterns make redressing the above problems absolutely imperative. The median age of the New Zealand population is 33.0 years, but for Maori it is a youthful 21.6 years. Between 1991-2011 the proportion of people in the labour force aged between 45-65 will increase by 73 per cent. (Statistics New Zealand 1995). Children under 15 constitute 37 per cent of the Maori population but only 23 per cent of the total New Zealand population (Statistics New Zealand, 1997c).
Maori participation vital for capability of New Zealand's future knowledge economy workforce
Figure 5: Maori Participation in IT Occupations
Given this, if continued disparities in educational achievement and rates of employment between Maori and non-Maori continue, they will have a marked effect on the level of capability in New Zealand's future knowledge economy workforce. Currently, in terms of key indicators such as income, educational achievement, labour market attachment, and consumption, Maori appear less likely to be able to participate in an emerging knowledge economy. As Figure 5 shows, at present only 6 per cent of people working in the IT field are Maori, only 1 per cent of Maori work in that field (March 1996), and only around 6 per cent of New Zealand's Internet users are Maori (AGB McNair). While more and more Maori information is appearing on the Web, indications are that it is accessed mainly by non-Maori middle-class academics and researchers.
It is clear that our future national well being is dependent on the rapid upskilling and empowering of Maori so that they can participate fully in building the knowledge economy. This is underlined by the fact that Maori culture and knowledge is important to the success of New Zealand as a distinctive brand in a crowded global market place.
