Differences between Indigenous and Traditional Business: A Case Study of Te Tahawai Marae

This article discusses the differences between Indigenous and Traditional Business through a case study of Te Tahawai Marae. It explores Maori culture, values, and traditions and how they impact business practices. The article also examines the intercultural issues that arise due to differences in language and perception.

Students: 100617 - Danilo C. M. Silva
100839 - Jatinder Kaur
19718 - Hoang Tran Bichhuyen
100831 - Somrudee Senaklang
7280 – Intercultural Relations
Graduate Diploma in International Business Innovation - L7
ICL Graduate Business School
Assignment 3 - Group Case Study
Based on the visit to the Te Tahawai Marae
Introduction
In the last years, the academic discussions around the challenges pose by intercultural
relations in business have been gathering increasingly steam. However, most of these
discussions consider cultural aspects as those linked to nationalities, taking for granted
subcultures differences (Avruch, 2002), especially when it comes to indigenous
expressions. Yet, even when some scholars try to approach these aspects, they mostly
do it by their own cultural perspectives, their western worldviews (Ruwhiu &
Wolfgramm, 2016), like a person who are analysing indigenous practises in business
from the outside door.
So, in order to avoid this biased worldview, heading towards a comprehensive
understanding of the indigenous values, our visit to the Te Tahawai Marae was
paramount. There, we had the chance to live within the Maori culture environment for
some hours and experience a little of their worldview. As business students, all this
experience helps us to realize that Maori approach to business should be regarded in a
different way from that applied by a traditional approach. All the issues and conflicts

inv lving these different approaches will be discussed in the questions below, in the
light of the learning we had from the visit.
Differences between Indigenous business and traditional business
An indigenous business or a Māori business is owned, managed, and operated by the
Māori in which Māori cultural values and tikanga (law and customs) are strongly
appreciated (Ministry of Education, 2013). The total asset of Maori businesses was
more than $42.6 billion in 2013 (accounted for up 6.1% of New Zealand’s total asset)
(Morrison, 2017). Moreover, annually, more than $12 billion from Maori enterprises is
contributed to New Zealand’s GDP. It, thus, could be said that, together with non-
Maori businesses, Māori businesses play vital role in New Zealand’s economy.
Therefore, we believe it is necessary to get insight about differences between Maori
and non-Maori relating to worldviews as well as distinctive approaches in business.
There are several typical features which could be mentioned such as structure of
society, connection of family, community decision making and land rights and
responsibilities (Puke Ariki Education., n.d), as well as explanation of Cause and Effect
and Relationship with Land and Resources (Miller, n.d). We will develop upon these
points below.
Structure of society: in the indigenous society, the whanau (extended family) is
fundamental element and the greater portion of family connection (hapū). Within the
whanau and hapu, members in this society would probably work together, while the
vital unit in Western society is nuclear family in which home and business are separate
places (Puke Ariki Education., n.d).
Family connection: for indigenous people, Whakapapa (genealogy), involving blood or
marriage, is certainly demonstrated as a crucial feature in every sector they want to
act. On the contrary, in Western world, family relationships are more important to
some individuals than others (Puke Ariki Education., n.d).

Community decision making: in Maori perspective, although decision making is led by
Rangatiga (a group on the move), decision of Individual in whānau and hapū is made
by themselves. On the other hand, In Western countries government and local
authorities make decisions (Puke Ariki Education., n.d).
Right to own land and responsibility: as indigenous views, it is believed that it is
impossible to own land, but its usages rights can be offered by the primary guardians
and looked after for the next generation who will occupy it in future. Dissimilarly, all
Western people including individuals, group or organizations could outright right to
own land and freely conduct what they want to do within its legal boundaries. This also
raises the critics regarding to ecological responsibility (Puke Ariki Education., n.d).
Explaining cause and effect: while Maori gives the explanation for causes and effects
by including all natural and supernatural phenomena, metaphor and narrative, the
Western view utilizes science figures such as objective, analytical, ideally
mathematical, value-free (Miller, n.d).
Relationship with Land and Resources: unlike the relationship of the Maori with land
and resource, which is symbiotic and reciprocal, descended from land, the connection
between Western people is simply the ownership with the separation of human from
land (Miller, n.d).
It is apparent that the differences in worldview lead to some typical dissimilarities in
conducting business. Some of the typical characteristics of Maori businesses namely
business motivation, operating with Māori culture, values, and tradition, alongside
modern techniques and technologies could be pointed out (Ministry of Education,
2013).
Unlike traditional enterprises which put mostly financial profit into priority, Maori
businesses pay more attention on balancing the work-life. According to the world's
largest study of indigenous entrepreneurs, the respond from 958 Maori out of 1004
interviewees demonstrated that the typical Maori entrepreneur aims to work for
helping others, getting the equilibrium between working and life rather than wealth
creation, since the Maori typically do not concentrate on wealth as a motivation for

conducting business (Glenn, 2006). This reflects collective aspect of Maori’s worldview.
In other words, for Maori businessmen, the final purpose of producing profit through
conducting businesses is providing benefits to their community as well as keeping
sustainability of the ecological system (NZherald.co.NZ, 2015).
As the social structure in worldview mainly focus on whānau (extended family), the
basic unit of society, with wider groups related by family ties (hapū), this lead to typical
feature of Maori businesses: caring of people both from external and internal
enterprises, like a proverb of the Māori: He aha te mea nui o te ao, maku e ki atu? He
tangata, he tangata, he tangata (What is the most crucial thing in the world? I will tell
you, it is the people. It is the people. It is the people) (New Zealand Story Group, n.d).
In Maori’s businesses, customers are treated as Maori’s family members, not just a
financial incentive, and this provide inextricably linked to their customer, because this
offer them a sense of adherence and proximity. In contrast, current Western society is
seen as being value-free, materialistic, analytical and mathematical (New Zealand Story
Group., n.d).
In terms of operating with Māori culture, values, and tradition, Māori emphasizes
connection to the land through genealogy, as we told above. Conversely, modern
Western society treats land as a commodity. Besides, Maori business is considered
relating to guardianship, because it is clear that legacy of culture of Maori
entrepreneurs is appreciated. In addition, they hold a strong sense of duty for caring
and preserving that legacy and the environment for future generations, which is best
captured in Māori principles – or kaitiakitanga (Miller, n.d). In other words,
sustainably grow along with protect the values of traditional culture, custom, as well as
preserve ecological system is always put in the first priority by Maori business.
Last but not least, if applying open innovation with model inside-out is the strategic
option on the rise for Western commercial firms like Apple, Intel and Microsoft,
harnessing latest technology and innovation is defined by Maori people as the
optimum approach to do business. They believe that everything about their tourism
industry is innovative, not only focusing in reaching lots-of-money, but especially trying
to offer something that’s sustainable for their customers. Based on another interesting

aspect of a recent report, the result has shown that 18 percent of Maori enterprises
claim to use the very latest technology (Glenn, 2006).
The typical example of Maori business is Ngāi Tahu Tourism, which is one of the
greatest tourism operators in New Zealand. Annually, more than one million
customers are hosted across 11 businesses and more than 25 sole experiences,
including Shotover Jet, Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters, Agrodome and Earth & Sky.
One of the core values, manaakitanga (or hospitality), drives the way they do business
(New Zealand Story Group., n.d).
With more than 56,000 registered members the company is owned by Ngāi Tahu and
is evaluated as the largest indigenous tribe, or iwi, by population in the South Island.
Their vision is clear that “a commitment to people, culture & innovation is supporting
inter-generational tribal growth” (New Zealand Story Group., n.d). Traveling and
working with Ngāi Tahu, customers and their team are treated as their own family. It is
apparent that they are confident that their aged-old culture in New Zealand comes
from Māori and that sense of manaaki, or hospitality, which they have done so well.
As a feature of Maori business, conducting business of Ngāi Tahu includes how they
look after the environment, and deliver health and safety systems as part of their
businesses, while also providing support to the wider New Zealand tourism industry.
Based on evaluating the value of human, Ngāi Tahu aims to provide customers with
best experience and unforgettable moment. Moreover, striving to create that
authenticity of connection, Ngāi Tahu Tourism has been approaching their business
with a spirit of innovation, continually seeking out new ideas and technologies to
enhance the customer experience and reinforce their core purpose, such as utilizing
Kruse Audio Translation technology and headphones, triggered by GPS location on Dart
River Adventures tour. Overseas visitors can hear the story of the location in their own
language, which provide more interesting experience for their trip, for instance (New
Zealand Story Group., n.d).

Differences in language and perception can create intercultural issues?
As it was already discussed, Maori culture is grounded in a perspective that
emphasizes a harmonic relation among people and also between people and nature.
The whanau (extended family) and the whakapapa (genealogy) are concepts that
shape the way Maori see their family, their tribe (Puke Ariki Education., n.d). The
environment that surround them, the nature, is important to the same extent. The
relation between people and nature is symbiotic and reciprocal (Miller, n.d), this is,
they affect each other, which means they should care one another. Naturally, since
these elements lead the way Maori people conduct their lives, they may be regarded
as cultural aspects, which straight interfere in their perception, their worldview,
different from a western or traditional worldview (Ruwhiu & Wolfgramm, 2016).
In the question above, we could see how these two worldviews guide distinctive
manners of dealing with family (people, in general), land and natural resources, cause
and effect relations and all environment itself. In a business point of view, this can give
Maori people a good advantage in customer services, as they treat people like their
own family, regarding them with respect and attention. But, apart from the business,
can these elements create intercultural issues for Maori people living in New Zealand
nowadays?
As most of the western countries around the world, New Zealand has been facing a
change in some cultural values in face of the globalization, boosted by a steady
technological advancement. Attitudes towards religious beliefs, materialism and
nature have been converging to homogenized practices that emphasize personal
achievements, as career and wealth, as a standard (Whalley, 2004). In order to reach
and keep this standard, people engage in a lifestyle that increasingly prioritize more
time for working and less time for living. This means that they have less and less free
time to think about their family, their community and the nature that surround them.
Worse still, they often exploit the nature to their own benefit, on an attempt to reach
their achievements.

Of course, a society’s patterns of acting comprise its cultural practices (Hofstede, G.,
Hofstede, G. J. & Minkov, 2010), which, in turn, reflect its people worldview. In this
sense, we can say that New Zealand’s most people western worldview is opposite to
the Maori worldview, since they emphasize different aspects. On one side, we have a
culture linked to the nature, based on ancestry and narratives as a way to convey
knowledge; on the other, a short-term-outcome-oriented culture, not-contemplative.
And we could experience a little of this difference when we visited Te Tahawai Marae.
First of all, we noticed that they can preserve their place very calm, completely
different from the busy environment of most of the Auckland city. It seems that the
time inside the Marae runs slowly than those outside. And this quietness is
indispensable for them to contemplate the nature and worship their ancestral. In this
way, we think that this lifestyle, or tikanga (Te Tahawai Marae, n.d.), cannot fit the
routine required by actual western societies. In order to normally conduct their lives as
citizens of New Zealand, nowadays, of course this people have to compromise and
adapt their day-by-day habits, behaviours and customs. Following the rules and the
laws of a western society, the dominant cultural pattern, is an issue that this people
have to deal with, as a way to keep their legacy alive among the new Maori
generations.
One of these legacies is the language, important cultural expression to any folks. In our
visited to Te Tahawai Marae we really experienced language as a barrier as all the
protocols held by the hosts were uttered both in English and Maori. Even though most
of the speeches in Maori could not reach the guests understanding, they could
transmit the oral culture from that people. That is the reason why they should be
always kept in their protocols. In this case, it is not about objective communicating by
the words meaning, but communicate their culture itself, reflected by the language.

Is there conflict caused by these different cultural approaches?
In terms of reaching quality of studies, in addition to the theoretical content, it is
essential to study and learn on everything outside the classroom. As international
students, besides learning each other’s cultures, is also very important to know
Indigenous cultures, especially in order to harmoniously live in New Zealand.
In our visit to Te Tahawai Marae, we learned many things about Maori people. We
heard their speeches and singing and we could experience the uniqueness and
prominence of their culture. We learned how to greet them with the traditional
touching of noses and listened about their history.
The Maori tribes came to New Zealand a long time ago, from the Polynesia. They had
been the first inhabitants of this land, before the Caucasians arrived. Maori ancestors
arrived in the North Island and South Island of New Zealand around years 800. In 1840,
the British and Maori parties signed the Treaty of Waitangi. The Maori were given
British citizenship. This treaty was a recognition of Maori land rights in exchange for
the Maori acceptance of British sovereignty. However, the treaty was often violated by
white immigrants who invaded Maori land (Maverick, 2018). That is the reason why
Maori people still have conflicting memories nowadays. One of the Maori ladies who
had received us on the Te Tahawai Marae said, in a certain moment, “We don’t like
the British’s Queen. We have our King”. We could clearly realize at that moment how
Maoris feel about British people. We could see the conflict inside their feeling. No
matter the conflict has happened a long time ago in history, it still remains in Maori
memories.
Nowadays, the Maori population account for 14% of New Zealand population (Flaser,
2018). We can easily see and recognize how the pure Maori is. Maori people have
expressive traits and they like to show how frightening they can be, especially in
competitions. We can see that in rugby games, when they do the HaKa to demonstrate
how they are strong and look more frightening than their competitors (Maverick,
2018). Maori people have very strong idea coming from traditions. Even though they
have a singular lifestyle, they have no difficult to join in society and live together with

intercultural relations. Nowadays, many things have changed but “Maori” still comes
to our mind as the first image when we talk about New Zealand.
Conclusion
The Business approach of the Maoris is altogether different from that of the
traditional business approach. The visit to the Te Tahawai Marae have given a deep
insight about the indigenous culture. The experiences gathered from the visit have
been reflected in the questioned that have been answered in the course of this
research study. It have been observed that the tikanga regulations are highly relevant
in the management of indigenous Maori business. The outcomes of the traditional
business are also significant and this is established from the fact that the annual
revenue that is generated by the indigenous Maori business comprise a significant
share of the annual GDP of New Zealand. In this context, it has been assessed in the
course of the study that the intrinsic factors like societal structure, family ties, decision
making power of the community as well as land rights as well as the responsibilities
that define the broader differences between the traditional business pattern and the
indigenous business design of the Maori. Other significant differences that re noticed
between the business norms of the two business communities are ways of treating the
customers. In the Maori culture, the customers are treated as family members and not
only as incentive structures for financial gain only. In the same way the difference
between the treatments of land is also evident between the Maoris and the traditional
business exponents. The Maoris acknowledge the connection with land through
genealogy. On the contrary, research reveals that the modern secular business
communities generally treat land as a business community only. Intercultural issue also
arise owing to the difference in perception. For evidence, Maoris value their family,

culture, people as well as communities equally at the time of the business growth. On
the contrary, the factors like globalisation and resulting out of it business optimisation
have been the most feasible outcome of these. The competitive strength of the Maoris
are derived out of the definitive life style of living together and maintaining internal
relations. In fact, Maoris have emerged as a definitive ad exclusive segment of New
Zealand.

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