Māori businesses recognised by global organisation B Lab

At the end of the 2023, NZTE had the pleasure of hosting a hui (meeting) between nine pakihi Māori (Māori-owned businesses) and B Lab officials to discuss the formation of a Māori B Corporation group.

Our largest Māori exporter Miraka facilitated the hui, with eight other Māori customers (AWWA Period Care, ŌKU Native Herbs and Teas, Wai Mānuka, GO Media, Tiraki Wines, Manawa Honey, Agrisea, and Ora Innovation) who are either B Corp Certified, or on their journey to achieving the internationally regarded certification.

B Lab is a non-profit network best known for certifying B Corporations - companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

While the hui introduced B Lab to pakihi Māori, the time was also used to share insights, whakawhanaungatanga (build relationships) and field questions, kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face).

The three-hour hui included Māori broadcaster Scotty Morrison opening with a kōrero on sustainability from a te ao Māori perspective as well as B Lab's Communications Director expressing support for the initiative.

B Lab Communications Director Angie Farrugia says that there are shared values between the B Corp movement and te ao Māori (the Māori worldview).
"[B Lab] recognises that te ao Māori principles [are] very strongly aligned with the B Corp movement."
"And it's a centuries-old approach that we have a lot to learn from."

A few of these aligned values include:

Through discussion, the rōpu highlighted that a lot of the B Corp values are intrinsic within te ao Māori and how they operate.

Chief Executive of Miraka Karl Gradon explains that "[B Corp is] a western way of bringing to life a lot of the te ao Māori values we believe in - tikanga, rangatiratanga and all of the other attributes that go within that construct. "

Michele Wilson (Ngāti Paoa), Chief executive and co-founder of AWWA, the 2023 NZIBA winner of the He kai kei aku ringa for Māori Excellence in Export award, highlights the unique qualities that pakihi Māori bring to the table.

"I think that's something that the world is craving — they're hungry for knowledge on how they can connect more with themselves, with their whanau, with their community,".

There are now 7500 businesses that are B Corp certified. In July 2023, B Lab introduced equity pricing - offering a 40% subsidy on annual certification fees for Aotearoa and Australian businesses.

The rōpu are meeting again this year to discuss the progression of the kaupapa, with the hope of it growing and supporting the wider Indigenous business community across the globe.