Ngati Kahungunu chairman Ngahiwi Tomoana says the second international Takitimu festival held in Hastings this week has been an outstanding success.
The festival included the Indigenous Peoples Business Conference which attracted iwi representatives from all over New Zealand, as well as visitors from the Pacific, China and Canada.
Mr Tomoana says the conference part of the event focused on strengthening overseas business links, between Maori and other peoples with a similar cultural outlook.
He says the festival was a gathering of the northern-most iwi to the southern-most iwi - from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and conference presentations by speakers from Canada's First Nations peoples were a highlight.
He is confident the strengthening of economic and cultural links through the Pacific and into Asia will lead to new business opportunities for Maori.
Maori can regain trading tradition - Comer
Te Puni Kokiri chief executive Leith Comer has told the conference there are three stars aligning that will lead Maori to becoming great traders once more.
He says that Maori were the principal traders in New Zealand until the late 1800's, and said they could be again.
Mr Comer says the Maori economy is real and its value is put at $38 billion.
In addition, he says there are iwi authorities who have political and economic power.
Mr Corner says the third factor is a power shift in the global economy to Asia and the Pacific, where English is not the first language and the culture of a people really matters.
He says that is where Maori can provide a cultural link which establishes a trade relationship.
