Essay Example on Ngati Aoira Iwi: Economic Development in Aoira Bay

Due to their strategic position at the Aoira Bay, most of their activities revolve around the lake and rivers flowing from it. This includes mostly farming and fishing activities.

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From this the need for an economic development arises where by the Ngati Aoira Iwi require a focused effort on this area. Recognising the strengths and abilities among our Maori community is the beginning of our endeavour towards a successful campaign with regards to economic development. Members of our Iwi are experienced in farming practises which we indulge in to produce crops and pastures.

Our first objective in line with the economic development we are hoping to achieve is intensive farming which aims at obtaining maximum products from the lands owned by the iwi, hapu and individual members. Agricultural produce ranging from pasture production and extending to crop production is an activity that the people of the Ngati Aoira understand. This is from the long term experience the members have had over the recent years while practising farming activity in addition to the traditional knowledge which acts as an added advantage. This together with modern technology and advice from key professionals can effectively increase farm production while minimising the environmental effect caused. This makes the farming of pastures become a considerable viable option for development in this particular field.

From the economic perspective, the production of meat and dairy products can also be enhanced intensively using technology to enable a maximum percentage of production from the animals being reared. This produce can be used to generate income to the community once sold hence adding to the economic value of our people. Once this has been achieved, farming can generally be a sustainable means and a powerful key aspect in the economy development of Ngati Aoira and Iwi in general.

The second aim that we hope to achieve is investment in tourism. This is a field which involves a lot of funds required in the setting up of cultural museums that entail collections of our cultural artefacts and history. By setting up this museums, both local and international tourists are able to visit and get to learn and observe our culture. Our rich culture is the main source of tourist attraction and the selling point which would return our used set up funds making it a viable endeavour to get into.

Manaakitanga (hospitality) is the key value which is necessary in ensuring the success we aim for in tourism. Building strong and enduring relationships between our tourism businesses, the wider industry, government, runanga and other iwi is important us, as it drives to be an investment partner of choice in the tourism sector (Bremner, 2016)Our third objective in line with the development of our iwi Ngati Aoira economy is indulgence in active fishing. Considering the close proximity of the sea and river, the community can easily access the water bodies making fishing easier. Seafood is a common meal which is harvested from the sea and has a ready market to which it can be made available to if only it was harvested and delivered. Engaging in active fishing would enable us to provide the market with seafood and as a result generate income for the community along with creating formal job opportunities to its members, generally developing our economy.

Ngai Tahu is a good example of a successful Iwi which engages in active fishing and has become an essential part of their economy, sustaining its whole communities. (Williams, 2016). It proves that fishing is an actual viable option which can be used in an effort to develop our economy. Examples of seafood which can be harvested from the sea include; Lobster, Wet fish, Abalone, Oyster and Mussel just to mention a few. With additional efforts, dedication and unity among our Iwi, we can progress in fishing and start our manufacturing, processing and transporting of seafood's independently which would increase our economy greatly while enabling us to be in complete control of the whole process.

For the objectives to be easily and completely achieved, our people in the community have to be self-motivated and determined towards achieving the same.

For our first objective which is engaging in modern intensive farming, the members would unite together forming a stronger and better working atmosphere. This would promote self-determination where each individual needs to play his role in ensuring the overall success of the project. If one member fails then the general outcome deteriorates affecting every member. As a result, each and every member is self-determined to do his best so as not to become a source failure to the rest of the community.

Considering our second aim, which is tourism, the effort of ensuring that our rich culture is maintained is key to its success. This culture is the source of tourism and thus makes us focus on ensuring that our culture is conserved. Influence of our culture towards our people's behaviour is very large and each and every individual is responsible of ensuring that they follow it accordingly. This makes them determined to abide by it accordingly ensuring it is conserved consequently attracting tourist who visit and get to learn and observe it. In effect to that, tourism gets to grow and acts as a source of income to the community. Self determination to continuously engage and preserve our culture promotes our aim making it effortlessly easy to turn it into a success promoting the development of the economy.

The third objective being to engage in active farming as a means of economic development. It requires self determination to ensure that each individual efforts and responsibility reflect positively to the overall outcome. Individual members are to be assigned respective roles according to their strengths. This enables them to play their part in the fishing practice accordingly and without any form of major challenge. In addition, when the members get to be rewarded or paid be it with goods or money, they are motivated for their effort and get to be self-determined to perfume their level best. This translates positively to the overall fishing activity and collection of sea food in general enhancing our economic development.

Self-determination acts as a motivation to our members and this acts positively in regards to working towards achieving our economic objective. It enables us to achieve them in a short amount of time compared to when there is lack of self-determination among our hapu members and the iwi in general.

Challenges occur in any endeavour set out and ours is no different. There are a number of barriers that may delay or hinder our set objectives. In the aim of engaging in intensive and technological farming, key professionals are engaged and they interact with our people. This does not always translate to a successful relationship or interaction between the two parties and in most cases the relationship is not good. Differences in language, culture and understanding are some of the driving force towards a deteriorating relation. This affects the set objective and may become the source of delay towards achieving our aim or in a worst case scenario result to failure.

Another challenge that may occur is the unwillingness of our Ngai Aoira to adapt to the modern technology in preference to our traditional cultural farming practice. This may affect the overall our set objective.

In line with our second objective which is tourism, great amount of funds are required to establish or set up cultural museums together with their maintenance. These funds may not be readily available to our community and this affects the whole project. Another challenge may occur when the set funds are available but get mismanaged and end up achieving a small percentage of our objective making it incomplete in the end. Therefore to ensure that our set aims are fully achieved, funds have to be readily available and managed by a responsible and accountable body.

For our third objective which is active fishing involving sea food, a major challenge that we would encounter would be obtaining the required necessary tools needed for the activity. Ship vessels are required to venture deep into the sea. These vessels cost a lot of money and this may prove to be another challenge. Apart from the vessels, in order to catch the fish and other sea animals, fishing nets are needed together with a variety of machines used in processing and storage of the harvested sea animals. All these translates to money which may prove a challenge to obtain.

Despite all these challenges, our desire to progress outweighs the fear of failure resulting to strategic planning on how to achieve our set objectives. For our first aim, professionals from renowned learning institution related to farming are to be invited to observe and provide the best methods of farming that would ensure a maximum output from our lands. Technological progress is to be introduced with an effort of also enhancing the farming practise. Follow ups should be scheduled and observed appropriately to enforce on the success of the set objectives.

With regard to tourism, funds are to be requested from the Board of TeRunanga o Ngati Aoira along with other relevant groups and governing bodies in a bid to collect enough funds to set up the cultural museums needed. From this the revenue collected from the tourism sector should enable the maintenance of the set up together with the sustainability of our economy.

For the final objective, the same applies where the relevant bodies are to be requested for funds and proper management should follow to ensure 100%^success in active fishing together with production of sea food.

References

Bremner, H. .. (2016). Aoteatoa/ New Zealand. Journal of Tourism History, 8(3), 260-274.

Williams, J. (2016). The 125(4). Journal of the Polynesian Society, 433.

Paton, D., Johnston, D., Mamula-Seadon, L., & Kenney, C. M. (2014). Recovery and development: perspectives from New Zealand and Australia. In Disaster and development (pp. 255-272). Springer, Cham.

Higgins-Desbiolles, F., Trevorrow, G., & Sparrow, S. (2014). The Coorong Wilderness Lodge: A case study of planning failures in Indigenous tourism. Tourism Management, 44, 46-57.

Coale, A. J., & Hoover, E. M. (2015). Population growth and economic development (Vol. 2319). Princeton University Press.

McKerchar, C., Bowers, S., Heta, C., Signal, L., & Matoe, L. (2015). Enhancing Maori food security using traditional kai. Global health promotion, 22(3), 15-24.

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