The newly released Māori business definition standard establishes a common approach to the identification of Māori businesses, Stats NZ said today.
The standard, created in collaboration with a cross-sector working group, will allow for consistent collection and production of Māori business data.
The new data standard provides guidance for collecting information related to Māori businesses, and is now in use by Stats NZ. It is also available for use by other agencies.
“This newly released standard seeks to address the lack of an agreed Māori business definition in use in Aotearoa’s data system. An agreed definition is the first step in producing high-quality data on Māori businesses, which can help support the aspirations of the Māori business community and provide insight into the contribution they make to the Aotearoa New Zealand economy,” Kaihautū Rhonda Paku said.
The release of the standard follows the publication of Māori business definition: Consultation findings | Te tautuhitanga umanga Māori: Ngā hua o te whakawhitiwhiti kōrero, released last month. The findings report outlines the results from a public consultation held last year on the draft definition. The final definition arrived at is:
A Māori business is a business that is owned by a person or people who have Māori whakapapa, and a representative of that business identifies the business as Māori.
In addition to being used in Stats NZ surveys from July, the Māori business definition will also be incorporated into the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) register by the end of 2022. Over the next year, it will also be considered for mandating across government agencies.
“Stats NZ is committed to providing better Māori business data,” Ms Paku said.
“Identifying Māori businesses is an important step in producing robust data that is of value to whānau, hapū, iwi, and the Māori business community.”
