Pacific People’s Contribution to New Zealand’s Business Environment

Running head: PACIFIC PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
PACIFIC PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
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PACIFIC PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................................2
2.0 Significant historical event in New Zealand and its impact in the economy................................2
3.0 The Significant Individual from Pacific community and their contribution to New Zealand
society.................................................................................................................................................4
4.0 Pacific community’s contribution to the globalization New Zealand’s contemporary
business sector....................................................................................................................................6
5.0 Future social change within the next decade that will bring about major changes to New
Zealand society within the next decade..............................................................................................7
6.0 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................9
7.0 References:................................................................................................................................10

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PACIFIC PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
1.0 Introduction
The report aims to present the contributions made by the Pacific people in shaping and
developing New Zealand as a prosperous country. The Pacific people of New Zealand represent
one of the largest ethnic groups in the world, fourth largest to be specific, comprising the Tongan,
Samoan, Niuean, Tokelauan and the Cook Islands Maori. The contribution of this community in
the development of the country in economic terms is evident from their rapid growth in both
proportion in population and number. With such an increase, the Pacific people contribute largely
towards increasing the economic strength of the country. The report focuses specifically on
happenings that took place during the 20th century, the Foreshore and Seabed Act in particular and
its consequences. The Act was introduced after the Maori filed a court case in 1997 in the
Marlborough Sounds resulting in the enactment of the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. The report
also highlights the contributions of specific Pacific community individuals who have made great
contributions in different fields and brought good name to the country. In addition to that, the
report discusses the contribution of the Pacific community in globalizing New Zealand’s
contemporary business sector. The report then discusses a specific change that is likely to occur
within the New Zealand society in future. The change that the paper discusses is within the
technology sector that has witnessed immense growth in the past decade and continues to grow.
2.0 Significant historical event in New Zealand and its impact in the economy
Many historical events have contributed to the development of the country since the 15th
and 16th century. However, it is worth mentioning that the foundation of the country was laid by its
original inhabitants – the Polynesians – who established a distinct Maori culture in the country that
stressed on the values of kinship and land ownership. Several important events in the country’s

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PACIFIC PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
history could be pointed out that have contributed to its present form like early European
settlement during the 1600s, the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the right to vote for women and so on.
The report however, highlights a recent event that took place during the late years of the 1990s and
the yearly 2000s, which is the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004.
The seabed in New Zealand is the underwater land around the coast where the Maori
people used to perform recreation activities, do fishing and bring canoes amongst other things.
Foreshore, on the other hand, is the land frequently covered by tide. The British introduced the
customary law in New Zealand with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which curbed the natural
rights of the Maori people in the seabed and foreshore. The Crown imposed ownership on the
seabed and foreshore restricting the Pacific people to use those for their activities. The Waitangi
Treaty stated that the Crown was the owner of the riverbeds, the coastal waters and the foreshore.
It granted limited access to the people to use the regions for fishing and using boats. Observing the
disadvantages of the Treaty, the Maori people realized that they needed to oppose the new law. In
1997, the Marlborough Sounds Maori residents approached the Maori Land Court and appealed for
declaring the foreshore and seabed as a customary land for Maoris. The High Court then
intervened and before the Maori Land Court could hear the case, it ruled that the customary rights
of the Maoris in the foreshore are no longer present. Further, ruling by the court stated that the
Maoris could not claim rights of the seabed as well because its ownership has been with the Crown
from the beginning. When the case reached the Court of Appeal, the government then introduced
the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 making sure that the Crown’s ownership stays intact.
However, the act granted rights to perform customary activities to the people.
The event had crucial economic, social and cultural significance in New Zealand history.
First, the act paved the way for Pacific people to improve their economic condition by using the