The first of eight Maori Economies Empowering Whanau Summits was held in Gisborne over two days and it has set a high precedent for the other seven summits.

Day One had high calibre speakers including Her Excellency Laura Clarke, British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Dr Ganesh Nana, Mr John Tamihere, Hon. Shane Jones and Hon. Eugenie Sage. 

The summit covered the effects of Covid-19, how the rohe coped and moving forward into the future post Covid. The forum was regularly opened to the audience to question speakers which stimulated conversations and answered many queries. 

Day 2 featured influential business leaders from the Gisborne rohe. These speakers represented Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Technology plus local trusts and all had positive korero about the local Maori economy moving forward. This included education, training and employment opportunities for all heading into the future. 

The next Summit is in the Waikato on August 14th, 2020.