To discuss Indigenous tourism research and practice, LETS invited two award-winning Indigenous New Zealand professionals, the Prof. Dr. Diane Ruwhui , from the University of Otago, and the indigenous entrepreneur and senior consultant Kylie Ruwhui-Karawana .
With the theme " Indigenous Maori Tourism: Embracing the Past to Prepare for the Future ", the presentation explored, through the lens of Indigenous Maori, how we can embrace the knowledge and wisdom of the past, to guide, inspire and challenge ourselves as we work with communities to build resilience pathways that will guide Indigenous tourism in the future.
The presence of the Maori has expanded in decision-making processes, both in the public and private spheres, since the 1980s. Currently, there are more than 350 indigenous enterprises in almost all regions of the country. Values such as manaakitanga (hospitality) and kaitiakitanga (care for nature), applied in the developments, have become central to New Zealand's tourism strategy since 2015.
Jaqueline Gil, a LETS researcher who coordinated the session, worked for 7 years at the New Zealand Embassy in Brazil and states that "the space conquered by indigenous people in New Zealand society and economy in the last forty years is consolidating the formulation of public policies and business with the eyes of collective prosperity. It is a case that we need to know better, especially considering the greatness of the indigenous people in Brazil and all the potential that we need to embrace to allow more prosperity here as well."
For Professor Dr. Helena Costa, coordinator of LETS, "the meeting is an opportunity to deepen and internationalize perspectives in Brazilian research, especially on such an important topic when we talk about sustainability: indigenous values. It is essential that indigenous peoples are protagonists in the processes of tourism development".
The Meeting, which can be watched here, was supported by the Embassy of New Zealand, which guaranteed professional simultaneous translation, for the dissemination of New Zealand scientific and business knowledge.
To know + about the speakers:
Dr Diane Ruwhiu (Ngāpuhi) is an indigenous Māori scholar and associate professor at the University of Otago Business School, with extensive experience in Maori studies. She is a research associate at Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (Māori Research Centre of Excellence) and her research focuses on issues of relevance to Māori development, in particular economics and business. The professor contributes to Indigenous studies in management and organization, especially on building organizational capacity and intersecting knowledge from Indigenous sciences and education. She has published internationally in areas related to indigenous tourism, leadership, entrepreneurship, higher education, and research methodologies. Diane is also a recipient of the University of Otago Kaupapa Māori 2021 Teaching Excellence Award, for the development of the Indigenous curriculum at Otago Business School.
Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana (Ngāpuhi) has been working in the tourism sector for over 20 years, specializing in indigenous Māori tourism. Kylie was the first indigenous woman to assume a management position in indigenous public policy at Tourism New Zealand, where she worked for 9 years. His last role was Māori Development Manager, where he developed Māori development strategies and facilitated the implementation of indigenous cultural components in all facets of the organization. She has worked with Māori tour operators in Aotearoa New Zealand, helping them develop their experiences. She currently works as a tourism consultant at TRC Tourism, which specializes in indigenous Maori tourism. Kylie has a passion for Māori tourism, which was instrumental in the establishment of an ecotourism whānau (family) business in 2018, which won the Māori Business category at the 2020 Otago Westpac Business Awards
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