An independent Maori communications advisor says the growing Maori population is gaining the attention of advertisers, who are eager to appeal to tangata whenua.
Ata Te Kanawa is the former publisher of Maori media magazine, Tu Mai.
Statistics New Zealand predicts that Maori will make up 17% of the population in 2021.
Ata Te Kanawa says companies want to know how to target Maori, and iwi groups also want to know how to better communicate with their people.
She says she's been approached by three iwi entities and Pharmac, in the past month, to advise them on communicating with Maori.
Ms Te Kanawa says in the future, there will be a cross over where Maori communication becomes easier among tangata whenua but also with non-Maori communities.
She says hui and face to face interaction are no longer the only method of reaching Maori.
