Maximising the trade opportunities presented by the ever-changing COVID environment is the subject of a hui in Nelson next month, which will bring together New Zealand’s trade negotiators, ministers and Māori businesses.

The event is the third in a series of hui organised and facilitated by Te Taumata, a network of Māori businesses working to deliver better trade outcomes for Māori.

Te Tauamata Chair, Chris Karamea Insley, says the Nelson event is the third such hui to be held around Aotearoa.

Mr Insley says the hui is an opportunity for New Zealand’s trade officials and Māori businesses to kōrero “kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) and chief-to-chief” about the challenges and opportunities facing Māori businesses.

The Nelson event’s full day programme includes presentations from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, a number of MPs, the British High Commissioner and regional mayors.

Mr Insley says feedback from Te Taumata’s two previous hui in Rotorua and Gisborne was extremely positive, with guests walking away feeling empowered by the discussions they had and the panels they attended.

“Our people have been telling us that before attending a hui, they didn’t really understand trade. Now they are seeing how deeply important it is for their communities, with one in four jobs derived from trade,” Mr Insley says.

“Never have those jobs been more important.”

The hui are being held in areas where the unemployment rates are amongst the highest in the country, with more hui to be held in 2021.

The Whakatū hui takes place on Tuesday, November 24 at the Rutherford Hotel, 27 Nile Street, Nelson. It is free to attend, and will also be live streamed on Facebook facebook.com/tetaumatanews.

See the full programme and register here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whakatu-regional-hui-on-trade-tickets-125261318977?fbclid=IwAR2y8Q_9Gv1dJl4MpghtLdUscOkaMz727MZXX1vr2mu5JBEyBluRO9efI1E