The Journey - In 1984 ‘Māori development’ was coined as a catchphrase to highlight a fresh direction for Māori. It signalled a new approach to advancement in economic, social and cultural areas and was in sharp contrast to policies of state dependency and a focus on ‘negative spending’ (by the state on behalf of Māori) that had characterised past policies. Although the concept of ‘development’ has since been criticised because of its frequent association with multi-national investments in third world countries at the expense of local control and local priorities, it was nonetheless greeted by Māori as a welcome way of defining Māori aspirations for economic self sufficiency and social equity. Its use also coincided with a world-wide indigenous resolve to throw off the shackles of colonisation and pursue pathways towards greater independence and self determination. Within New Zealand, Māori development was also a product of free market policies that were accompanied by a rapid downsizing of the state, devolution of state functions to the private sector, and a removal of government subsidies to industries that had sheltered under government patronage. It emerged at a time when the Treaty of Waitangi was being rehabilitated as a founding document of New Zealand that had implications for Crown policies and programmes, legislation, and the position of Māori within society. Mason Durie
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:36:11 +0000
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