Part 5 of our video series on the Māori economy looks at how Māori businesses came through the first lockdowns and waves of the pandemic
Nau mai haere mai ki te wāhanga tuarima ō te pakipūmeka mō te 'Māori Economy'. Ko tēnei wāhanga e kōrero mo KOWHEORI-19 me nga wero ki nga pakihi Māori.
On March 25, 2020, at 11:59pm, Aotearoa New Zealand moved to alert Level 4, and the entire nation locked down in an attempt to eradicate Covid-19.
This documentary about the Māori Economy was in its final days of filming when the country went into self-isolation. The lockdown has had far reaching effects on many businesses, including most Māori enterprises.
"As bosses and employers we've never gone through anything like Covid before" Vincent Egan, co-founder/CEO, Maui Studios.
“Unprecedented and so widespread and immediately impactful" Mike Pohio, chief executive, Ngāi Tahu Holdings
The makers of this documentary faced a dilemma – go with what they had already filmed or wait until the impacts of the pandemic became clearer.
Covid, lockdown, the fallout within the business sector provided us with a unique opportunity. The opportunity, to see how and if Pakihi Māori (Māori businesses) underpinned by the 'tanga values'; Kaitiakitanga, Manaakitanga, Whakawhanaungatanga, and Rangatiratanga could withstand the devastating fall out of a global pandemic,” says producer Eugene Carnachan.
Six months after the March 25, 2020 lockdown the production team returned to re-interview a number of the businesses profiled within the series.
The Māori Economy documentary is presented by Joshua Hitchcock no Te Ātiawa. Joshua is a Taranaki based Māori business analyst and GM of Operations at Te Kotahitanga o Te Ātiawa.
* Made with the support of NZ on Air *
