Some Cultural and Historical Factors Influencing Rural Maori Tourism Development in New Zealand

Abstract

Rural Maori face more challenges when setting up businesses than their urban or non-Maori counterparts. New Zealand's colonial history provides an important context for Maori development, particularly in rural areas where the effects of the marginalisation created by colonial processes are still strongly evident. Within this context, a range of other factors comes into play. These are the cultural calls that rural M?ori have on their time, the ways in which cultural practices clash with commercial practice, the expectations that rural M?ori have of business development, the ways in which land ownership operates, and the historical factors that have left rural M?ori marginalised and in a position of trying to recover what they have lost. Infrastructural issues and geographic isolation also create challenges for rural people over and above the challenges experienced by urban dwellers, whether M?ori or non-Maori. Participatory Action Research; Maori Culture; business development; Rural development