Te Ōhanga Māori - The Māori Economy reports

Te Ōhanga Māori – The Māori Economy 2023 report

Released in March 2025, this report builds on previous work, improving upon the well-established methodology of Te Ōhanga Māori 2018. BERL (Business and Economic Research) partnered with Hīkina Whakatutuki Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment  to produce and launch the report.

Te Ōhanga Māori 2023 report was informed by key data from census 2023, which found that almost 1 million New Zealanders identified as being of Māori descent, 55% of whom were under 30 years of age.

Key findings

• The Māori economic contribution to the New Zealand economy had grown from $17 billion in 2018 to $32 billion in 2023.
• While agriculture, forestry, and fishing were the primary contributors to GDP in 2018, professional, scientific and technical services led the way in 2023.
• The Māori asset base had grown from $69 billion in 2018 to $126 billion in 2023.
• The rates of entrepreneurship had risen significantly from 2018 to 2023 with a 49% increase in Māori self-employment and a 31% increase in Māori employers.
• In 2023, there were nearly 24,000 Māori-owned businesses – with the largest number located in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
• There has been a positive shift in the skill levels of Māori workers, with 46% now in high-skilled jobs, 14% in skilled jobs, and 40% in low-skilled jobs. In 2018, 37% of Māori were in high-skilled jobs and 51% in low-skilled jobs.
• Māori tourism contributed $1.2b to GDP in 2023 up from $975m in 2018.

Te Ōhanga Māori – The Māori Economy 2018 report

Released in January 2021, Te Ōhanga Māori 2018 report paints a picture of the Māori economy in 2018, showing far-reaching business activities, a diverse asset base and a growing workforce with increasing skills.

This report expands on BERL’s 2013 work by providing a richer description of the many roles Māori play in the economy of New Zealand. The report was written during the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, providing a snapshot of Māori economic activity just before the pandemic.

The updated research presents financial measures of the core resources (assets) available to Māori, as well as the flows of income, expenditure, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) received, spent, produced, and delivered by Māori in New Zealand in the 2018 year.

BERL partnered with Te Pūtea Matua – the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to produce the report.

Te Pūtea Matua sponsored this work to continue meeting their mandate. Their mission was to promote the prosperity and wellbeing of New Zealanders and contribute to a sustainable and productive economy. Te Pūtea Matua is also the kaitiaki of New Zealand’s financial system.

The report was a fact-based foundation for economic policymaking for New Zealand’s future.

This report informed and supported iwi, Māori, business and the Government in its decision making about the future development and wellbeing of Māori and New Zealand.

Te Ōhanga Māori – The Māori Economy 2018 report(external link) - Reserve Bank

Key findings

• The Māori population and labour force are growing more rapidly than the general population and it is projected to be a rising proportion of the future workforce.
• The Māori economy’s asset base is now $68.7 billion in value.
• Since 2013 Māori businesses activity has increased in a range of industries, including construction, retail trade and services such as information media.
• Access to capital is a barrier for Māori businesses.

Interesting highlights

• The Māori population totalled 775,800 in 2018, an increase of 30 percent since 2013. This included 527,000 Māori of working age (15 years and over), an increase of 33 percent.
• The number of Māori in employment in 2018 totalled 329,200. This is an increase of over 105,200, or 47 percent, since 2013, with a 46 percent increase in the number of Māori employers.
• The majority of Māori in business, as either employers or self-employed, were in the highest skill category.
• There was a large change in the composition of the population and the labour force of New Zealand between 2013 and 2018. The growth in the number of Māori was significantly greater than the number of non-Māori.

Te Ōhanga Māori – The Māori Economy 2013 report

Te Puni Kōkiri commissioned BERL to conduct the 2013 round of research and draft the report. The authors were Dr Ganesh Nana, Masrur Khan and Hillmarè Schulze, and it was published April 2015.

Te Ōhanga Māori 2013 – The Māori Economy Report 2013(external link) - National Library

Key findings

GDP from Māori economy producers totalled $11 billion in 2013

• this represented 5.6% of overall GDP from New Zealand economic production
• since 2010 Māori production GDP increased $720 million, or 7.0% in nominal terms
• adjusting for changes in prices, real growth from 2010 was estimated at 2.6%.

Māori economy GDP contribution still dominated by the primary sector

Breakdown:

• $1.8 billion (just over 16%) was from the primary sector
• $1.3 billion was from manufacturing
• $670 million was from the construction sectors
• $1.3 billion was from the hire and property rental sector
• $1.1 billion was from the professional services sector
• $860 million was from the education sector
• $690 million was from the health care and social assistance sector.

Māori economy GDP arose from an asset base totalling $42.6 billion

• The Māori asset base represented 6.1% of the total New Zealand asset base.
• The Māori asset base increased $5.7 billion (or 15.4% in nominal terms) from $36.9 billion in 2010 to $42.6 billion in 2013.
• After adjusting for changes in prices, real growth from 2010 was estimated at 7.2%.
• At a regional level, most of the Māori asset base ($11.4 billion) was held in Te Puku o Te Ika (North Island) with
• $8.9 billion in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).
• $7.9 billion was held in Te Waipounamu (South Island)
• The 2013 Māori asset base estimate comprised:
  • $12.5 billion in Māori trusts, incorporations, and other entities
  • $23.4 billion in assets of Māori employers
  • $6.6 billion in assets of self-employed Māori.

Net savings position of Māori households improved

The net savings of Māori households was negative in 2013, that is, total expenditure of Māori households was more than their total income; however, this was a marked improvement from an estimated $5.5 billion shortfall in 2010, as lower interest rates eased housing costs. The shortfall for 2013 was estimated to total $4.0 billion.

Te Ōhanga Māori – The Māori Economy 2010 report

In 2011, BERL developed and published the Asset Base, Income, Expenditure and GDP of the 2010 Māori Economy report, the first report that would become a decade-long research programme.

This report estimated the size of the Māori economy and demonstrated the relationships between the Māori economy and the wider New Zealand economy.

Te Ōhanga Māori - The Māori Economy 2010 report (The asset base, income, expenditure and GDP of the 2010 Māori economy)(external link) - National Library

Kaitautoko - partners and supporters

Several agencies and organisations have supported Te Ōhanga Māori reports:

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Te Puni Kōkiri

Stats NZ

Reserve Bank of New Zealand 

Berl: Business and Economic Research Limited

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