Sharples Pita: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Sharples Pita: Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill — Third Reading Imprest Supply Debate 
[Sitting date: 21 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4563. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. I am happy to take a call on this legislation even though it is a short one. In terms of our relationship accord and confidence and supply agreement but also because of the economic gains that Maori have made in our relationship with the Government we certainly support this legislation. In particular I would like to talk about the Maori economy and its emergence into the wider New Zealand economy as a dynamic and growing force. 
If I could just go back a couple of years to 2009 when we had our Maori economic summit Maori decided that there should be a task force to look at our economy and evaluate its progress size shape and so on. So that was set up. One of the things that happened under that was a review of the Maori economy how to emerge from the recession—and we are just about in that process now emerging. If we look at primary industries Maori own a third of all forests and fishing. If we look at local infrastructure building at collaborating between the small to medium sized enterprises amongst Maori and at Maori branding for export these are some of the actual things that we took up—in particular how Maori could make use of the free-trade agreement with China and go forward from there. 
These are the things we did. One of the things that happened was that we commissioned Business and Economic Research Ltd to do a review on the state of the Maori economy. Instead of $16.4 billion which was touted as the value of the Maori economy 2 years ago it turned out to be $37.9 billion. So it is double what it was before. This put a new light on things and gave Maori an economic arm if you like in order not only to get into coalitions but also to do partnerships with other industries and so on. Interestingly enough—$37.9 billion—everyone thought this was iwi money. In fact $20 billion was small businesses—that is either a small group or a single self-employed person and so on made up a whole $20 billion. That was a wake-up call showing there is plenty of entrepreneurship amongst Maori to increase their business and grow. You will remember that 3 years ago Maori women were third in the OECD countries for entrepreneurship in terms of starting up new businesses. 
On top of that $37.9 billion Business and Economic Research Ltd forecast an extra $12 billion in GDP per annum—an increase—plus 150000 new jobs by 2060 but there was a proviso and the proviso was that it would be only if Maori asset holders invest successfully in science and innovation. Science and innovation have been realised by all industry in New Zealand now as being absolutely essential to value-add to our products before exporting and selling. 
At another conference Ganesh Nana of Business and Economic Research Ltd also said that for Maori the key is “export or die”. We have chosen not to die so we are exporting big-time to China. We have had two expeditions there taking a number of Maori businessmen and businesswomen across to China. On the last one 30 of us went across and business was struck. The thing is that we use what I call a Maori edge—[ 
Bell rung 
]; oh already—Maori techniques: going first of all to Beijing talking with the Ministers Premiers and Vice-Premiers and getting kanohi ki te kanohi trust and then going out into the community and establishing business in manuka honey wines pasture techniques education exchange and food and gourmet dishes. 
China has got a new middle class growing rapidly. They want our foods. In New Zealand we are a food basket for China and we have got to make sure that we capitalise on it. Seafood crayfish fish paua timber—to value-add our timber instead of just sending logs we should be processing them here and getting the value-add plus the jobs that it creates as well to go over. We have got the China Development Bank looking at possibilities of helping us do that. That is only part of my talk so that is enough for now.