It’s time to build a global Indigenous trading system

Aotearoa New Zealand is emerging as a key driver of global Indigenous economic collaboration, with Māori leaders, researchers, and international partners calling for the creation of a global Indigenous trading system.

Professor Jason Mika (He Manga Tauhokohoko, Auckland Business School) says recent Indigenous business and investment gatherings signal a decisive shift.

“Indigenous trade is global and ready to lead,” he says. “What we’re seeing is Māori and Indigenous nations stepping forward with shared purpose, to build trade systems grounded in relationships, stewardship and self-determination.”

He emphasises the importance of networking with global partners with an ethos that aligns with te ao Māori.

“For Māori, the right investors are those who share the same vision as te ao Māori: care for our people and building intergenerational wealth – and not those driven solely by profit.”

A global Indigenous trading system would:

• Strengthen Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade links
• Align procurement across borders
• Connect capital, capability and innovation
• Centre women and rangatahi in economic leadership
• Advance long-term, intergenerational stewardship

Mika says the University of Auckland is well placed to support this movement through research, teaching and enterprise development.

Research by Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, suggests Indigenous-led economic strategies are already world-leading. Initiatives such as The Southern Initiative (TSI) and Amotai have channelled more than $300 million into Māori and Pacific businesses since 2019, including $2 million in international contracts.

Professor Mika says these results demonstrate that Indigenous economic models are highly scalable.

“We are proving that Indigenous values such as manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and tino rangatiratanga, deliver sustained economic outcomes. The next step is linking these values-led systems across borders.”

Amotai evaluation data also shows Māori now make up 43 percent of jobs within its supplier network, with one in three tenders more likely to succeed when Māori and Pacific businesses are involved.

Summits and wānanga show global momentum

The Amotai Indigenous Business Wānanga, held 25 August at Waipapa Marae with the Dame Mira Szászy Centre and He Manga Tauhokohoko, brought Māori and global Indigenous leaders together to explore how Indigenous values can guide new economic systems.

Leaders from Aotearoa, Australia, Canada and the US highlighted a common theme: Indigenous peoples are designing alternatives outside of traditional capitalism, centred on mana motuhake, mātauranga, reciprocity, regeneration, and collective well-being.

Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) was also affirmed as a foundational economic principle for future cross-border Indigenous partnerships.

Alongside the wānanga, the Tūhono Business Mixer strengthened links between Māori enterprises, international Indigenous delegations, and University researchers, while also highlighting the emerging Amotai–Dame Mira Szászy Centre partnership and the University’s role in Tauhokohoko, the Waikato-led Indigenous trade project.

“We’re on the right track, and it’s exciting. Māori and Indigenous entrepreneurs are building the trade systems of the future, and this is only the beginning.”

Kiingitanga launches major investment platform

On 29 November, Te Arikinui Kuini Ngā Wai Hono i te Pō hosted an Indigenous investment gathering, the Ōhanga ki te Ao. Joined by more than 170 leaders from across Aotearoa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and the Pacific for a first-of-its-kind international Indigenous investment gathering, the event explored Māori economic leadership.

The Kiingitanga launched the Kotahitanga Fund, a multi-million-dollar investment platform designed to pool Māori capital and partner with global investors. Early commitments from iwi entities have already reached around $100 million, with further investment expected.

Professor Mika says the announcement signals a new era of coordinated Māori economic influence.

“The Kotahitanga Fund shows that Māori are not waiting for permission from the Crown to act. We are investing in ourselves, backing our own brilliance, and aligning with global investors who share our long-term view of wellbeing and intergenerational prosperity.”