Maori Prosperity and Development

Twenty years ago, the Ngai Tahu Development Corp contracted Dr Clydesdale to write a strategy to enhance the prosperity of its members. This triggered a life-long motive to raise Maori welfare. In this book, he explores the reasons for Maori marginalisation and what is necessary to fulfil their potential.

For decades, government policy has failed to close the gap between Maori and Pakeha. Several reasons exist for this including a failure to understand the drivers of economic prosperity and a vision of history that stops at 1840. This book argues that we need to delve deeper into history, culture and traditional capabilities.

Policy planners have given insufficient consideration to absorptive capacity, early capability development and the costs of isolation.

Finally, Clydesdale argues that the policies have failed because they have placed mana of a few above the prosperity of a people.

This book has implications not just for Maori, but the prosperity of New Zealand as a nation.

Author Bio

Greg Clydesdale has a PhD in economic development. He is the author of six books published internationally, with translations in to Portuguese and Korean.