8 Mar 2010
One of the country's most experienced Maori foresters says Maori have to stop handing over profits to others and get into the forestry business themselves.
Radio NZ's Waatea News says Lake Taupo and Lake Rotoaira Forest Trusts chief executive George Asher has encouraged the Central North Island iwi collective to manage the 170,000 hectares of trees they have got back from the Crown themselves.
Addressing a forestry conference in Auckland on Friday about Maori aspirations for the sector, he said the Ngati Tuwharetoa trusts have been rolling over contracts on their 35-thousand hectares of forests instead of taking on the business themselves.
Asher said the bottom line for Maori business is people, so they need to generate profits which can be used to meet the social and cultural objectives of iwi.
Source: Radio New Zealand website
