Putting indigenous back into the economy

Aotearoa has been instrumental in pushing Apec beyond its traditional protectionism focus, creating a legacy for often forgotten groups.

Reflecting on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Apec hosting year, it is easy to say that our relationships within the Asia Pacific region are more important than ever. And although we’ve been unable to share the same discussion table, we have found ways to work across the distances, breaking down borders digitally.

New Zealand rose to welcome all 21 AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) economies in our ‘‘virtual whare’’ – a place where tangible progress in a wide range of economic policy areas has been made.

Some 74 per cent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s exports go to member economies which represent nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population and almost half of global trade. This annual event is one of the most important on our economic and trade calendar, and this year was no different.

The global pandemic has thrown us all into unchartered territory with new and varied challenges at every step. Under Aotearoa’s leadership, this year’s Apec collective moved beyond vaccine nationalism, to focus on efforts to make, share, and use vaccines and get them across borders faster to where they are needed. In the process, we managed to eliminate vaccine-related tariffs.

Not only will this will help save lives but meaningfully contribute to reducing the devastating impacts of Covid-19 on families and communities around the world.

We also acknowledged the disproportionate impacts the pandemic has had on groups in all Apec economies – including women, small and medium enterprises, indigenous groups and rural populations – and shone a light on their potential economic contributions. This perspective has not been a traditional focus for Apec but will be an important legacy that we have made to future discussions.

The digital nature of our connections has also allowed us to promote our indigenous voice and amplify those of our Apec wha¯ nau. This year we marked more indigenous peoples at the Apec table than ever before – connecting, sharing, and contributing to improved health, economic and trade outcomes for their communities.

In New Zealand, Ma¯ ori economic growth is an integral part of our progression and prosperity. It is a recent lesson – in less than 20 years, we have seen the Ma¯ ori economy grow from NZ$16.5 billion in 2006 to NZ$69 billion in 2019, with a projected growth pattern of 10 per cent per year. Aotearoa greatly benefits from indigenous economic inclusion, moreover, it creates potential for further development of indigenous capability, capacity and the ability to participate in the economy. A prosperous indigenous economy benefits the whole country’s economic and social wellbeing.

Which is why we wanted to elevate the economic potential of the region’s 270 million indigenous peoples, while acknowledging that each of the Apec economies are at different stages of measuring and understanding their own indigenous economies. Many of the challenges and barriers indigenous businesses face are shared as a result of historical and contemporary structural inequalities.

At a time when we absolutely must come together, my hope is that this focus on inclusivity will continue far beyond 2021.

In our own corner of the world, we reinforced our unique voice through the values of manaakitanga (goodwill), kaitiakitanga

(stewardship or guardianship), whanaungatanga (shared sense of humanity and connections) and kotahitanga (collective benefits and shared aspiration) at the forefront our hosting approach.

As we look to leverage our digital boundaries, we also can’t ignore physical warning signs in our environment – especially as the Apec region accounts for a whopping 60 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

With this in mind, we have put climate change squarely on the agenda – building support for the idea that trade and economic policies can be a force for environmental good. This was seen through our push to strengthen trade in goods and services that help fight climate change, and to tackle fossil fuel subsidies which are having a detrimental impact on our environment. Perhaps the longest lasting legacy of our host year will be the Aotearoa Plan of Action.

By leading the drafting of this plan, we have ensured that Apec’s work for the next 20 years will reflect our values and vision for a prosperous, dynamic, and peaceful region. It ensures that Apec will continue to generate momentum for opening more markets for New Zealand exporters, and drive productivty and innovation to support sustainable and inclusive growth. Ultimately, it will help the region recover and be better prepared for the next crisis. Our sharing of information, ideas and experiences at Apec 2021 will undoubtedly benefit Aotearoa New Zealand as we continue to navigate uncertain times and our recovery. I know the foundation we have put in place this year will ensure we have a clear destination of the Asia-Pacific region to pass onto future generations.