Kia Ora Whanau - We've been back home visiting some of the whanau over the last six weeks.  We travelled between Rotorua, Waimana, Opotiki and Opape, showing our young one his kainga, but also, to see people who bring smiles to our faces.  Seeing a friendly face and walking into a welcoming home can do wonders for the soul.  That, and seeing what there was to eat.

In Opape, Uncle Dougie had some beautiful mussels, in Opotiki Aunty Irene had on a 3 day Boil-Up, in Waimana, Uncle Johnnie had some pig head, Koro Rangi had just made some nice hot oven-baked bread, and in Rotorua, a hangi had just come from the ground, and was sitting nice and hot on the table.  All that and a Maketu Pie (Mince and Cheese of course).  This was both a whanau visit and a culinary road trip. 

It was in the korero that things went from delicious to intriguing.  In different areas, issues were being discussed with great vigour – the impact of the foreshore and seabed on the coastal communities, the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement in Rotorua, restructuring at the Wananga o Aotearoa, law and order, justice and sovereignty, fishing.  While these were fascinating areas, one in particular caught my attention – business.

The line went something like “…nephew, if you want to get anywhere in this World, you have to build your own business from the ground up, get your family and friends to help you set up and launch, find that crucial market and connect with your customers – do that for a while and after a couple of years, find a buyer, cash out and retire.”  At first I thought “Yeah right, if only it were that simple”, but then heard my uncle say “…that's what that young fella Sam did, and look at him now”. 

I scratched my head for a second, thinking, “Who's Sam?”  Sam?  Then it clicked – must be that guy Sam Morgan, founder and ex-owner of online auction site Trade Me, who developed and sold his internet company for over $700m (earning himself $220m and his shareholder Dad, economist Gareth Morgan, a tidy $47m).

Now, part of me has always been opposed to the capitalist system – maybe it was because I loved to sit and listen to my koroua and uncles talk about Marxist Economic Theory, Maori communal marketing and how the West was corrupt, and so too their economic framework.  Or perhaps it was that we were a poor, working class family with barely enough to make ends meet.  When the left imploded in the mid-80's, no one felt that hit more than our whanau.  It was like our entire world was being crushed.  Our community of working class battlers became struggling beneficiaries almost overnight.  Then we all watched the new right become filthy rich.  Business, to my young eyes, was seen as exploitative and without a social conscience.  I often felt that we were usually the ones being exploited. 

When I attended university some years later, I felt a natural affinity with the politics of the left, the movements of the working people.  I would sit in smoked filled rooms discussing radical economic theories throughout history, listening to the words of freedom fighters like Malcolm X, Thomas Sankara, Tupua Tamasese and Angela Davis, talking about the economic theories of Engels, Marx, and muttering over Noam Chomsky's latest musings.  All of this reinforced my belief that capitalism was inherently bad, that purveyors of capitalism sold out every day to make a sale, and that profit favours big business, not the people.  Studying in the Faculty of Humanities may have added to my swing against capitalism, and the introduction of student fees and the subsequent burden of student debt may have hardened my resolve.

Well, against this backdrop, I could not help but feel my lip curl up as I once again thought of engaging in business and with capitalism.  

Perhaps things had changed over the years and a socially responsible business was indeed possible; maybe profit wasn't essential and instead, by generating a surplus, more community activities and services can be funded.  Yeah right, and maybe the dogs were going to enjoy being injected with an intrusive electronic chip.  Anyway, I leaned in to listen a while longer.

“Tino Rangatiratanga means having a strong whanau, strong connections to the land and the marae, and having strong whanau holdings.”  Interesting. 

“Mana Tängata means paying respect and tribute to the people who inhabit the coast, the plains, the mountains and the swamps, on their own terms.” Good whakaaro. And...

“Manaaki Motuhake means being able to turn on a good feed whenever a guest shows up on your door, unexpectedly.” 

I got the hint.  On the drive back to Wellington, Nikolasa and I discussed businesses examples and economic models that were good for the people, and not solely good for profits.   I said there weren't any.  Nikolasa then mentioned stores like Trade Aid and the Body Shop, and products like No Sweat clothing and Fair Trade Coffee.  “Ethical consumerism” is what she called it.  Now, at any other time, the two words would not, and could not sit side by side.  After listening to the whanau talk business for a few weeks, I was a bit more open.  Organic food is another example, and Toi Maori offers protection to the artists and a good deal to the buyer.  Ok, maybe there are many examples of business that could be good for the people and good for the bottom line.  So why am I still resistant?

At this stage, I'm not sure.  So what we're going to do is a bit more thinking, a bit more research, korero to a few more people and we'll get back to you in a little while.  In the meantime, what do you think – can business be good for people and for profits, or is the very nature of business exploitative?  Be interested to hear your thoughts.

So, a massive thanks to all the whanau we visited – thanks for the kai, the cup of tea and the choice korero.  It was cool to hear about work (especially the mahi at the Kiwifruit pack houses across the Bay – Chur Whänau!!) and good to see the nephews and nieces.  Baby Atutahi really enjoyed hanging with out his cousins, his aunties and uncles.  We'll be up for the Marae DIY (you can read more about this in the whanau section below) in a few weeks, so hope to catch up with everyone then.  And I promise Uncle Jack, I won't tell anyone where your secret fishing spot is.  Until next time, stay safe, keep warm and don't forget to tell your mother you love her this Mother's Day.

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In an effort to create two-way dialogue we have decided to innovate and create an online forum where we as a whanau, a digital community can post our thoughts, comments, rants and raves. To check it out click here? Remember we need you to bring life to this online community, so see you in the digital village!

We've also created a Korero Rataka/Guestbook. Please feel free to add your thougths or view what others have posted.

Following a number of requests, Mauri Ora Associates has created a second intake for the 2006 Certificate in Hauora Maori programme. The dates for the three 3-day wananga are as follows:

• 7 - 9 June 2006
• 2 - 4 August 2006
• 6 - 8 September 2006

Dr. David Jansen

Dr Peter Jansen

For some interesting statistics on organ donation check out the following links: Facts & Figures, Common Questions, History of Transplantation.