"It is a business network, but it is a net that has to work", is how chairman Philip Broughton describes the Southern Maori Business Network, after its annual two-day hui finished yesterday.
A pan-tribal organisation, the network was designed for Maori business leaders from the Otago-Southland region and had bases in Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown.
The hui, held at the Araiteuru marae, attracted more than 35 members and a wide range of guests speaking on topics from technology to Maori tourism, Mr Broughton, a chartered accountant and partner in Polson Higgs, said.
The members enjoyed a visit to member Glenn Alexander's business, Ellis Fibre in Kaikorai Valley, which manufactured and imported bedding products.
With a proud history of trading, Maori were natural entrepreneurs and "Maori business was a growing area", Mr Broughton said.
To continue expanding Maori business, it was important for like-minded people to involve themselves in networks, such as the Southern Maori Business Network, he said.
