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*Corresponding author. Tel.: #64-6-350-5799; fax: #64-6-350-5661.

E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Barnett).

Tourism Management 22 (2001) 83}92

Manaakitanga: Maori hospitality * a case study of Maoriaccommodation providers

Shirley Barnett*Department of Management Systems, Massey University, Te Kunenga ki Purehuroa, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Received 27 May 1999; accepted 24 August 1999

Abstract

Maori tourism accounts for little more than 1 per cent of tourism turnover in Aotearoa/New Zealand. As the new millenniumapproaches, the important role that Aotearoa's unique Maori culture plays in attracting international visitors needs to be recognised.Accommodation operations now make up 30 per cent of all operations that are owned or operated by Maori in Aotearoa. Currently,these operations are not recognised in any of the four categories of Maori tourism product de"ned by the Aotearoa Maori TourismFederation (AMTF). This article discusses Maori accommodation operations generally and then looks in detail at "ve operations thatare providing a Maori tourism product to their guests. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Maori hospitality; Maori tourism product; Maori tourism operation; Aotearoa Maori Tourism Federation; New Zealand tourism

1. Introduction

The unique, rich culture of the Maori is a strong andattractive component of the social heritage in Aotearoa,`2 which enhances New Zealand's appeal to the worldtravellersa (Hall, 1996, pp. 156}157). Maori are friendlyhospitable people who would bene"t from being wellequipped to take advantage of the growing demand fromoverseas visitors for cultural experiences and cross-cul-tural interactions. In Aotearoa, approximately 1.5 mil-lion international visitors per annum are serviced bysome 15,000 small- and medium-sized tourism businesses(New Zealand Tourism Board, 1997). `Tourism is thefastest growing and biggest industry in New Zealand,with tourism revenue for 1996 at New Zealand $4.8billion and employing 94,000 peoplea (Zeppel, 1997,p. 364). It is estimated by the NZTB that foreign visitorswill spend around $9 billion per annum by the turn of thecentury (Knight, 1997). According to Roana Bennett, theformer Chief Executive O$cer of the Aotearoa MaoriTourism Federation, Maori tourism accounts for lessthan 1 per cent of this total (cited in Zeppel, 1997). In1994 it was estimated that Maori tourism businesses hada turnover of only $7.5 million (Wilson, 1996). There is

ample space for Maori to increase their involvement inthe tourism industry in Aotearoa and Tommy Wilson;past-president of the Aotearoa Maori Tourism Feder-ation, illustrated this, stating that:

The role Maori people had to play in the industry wasevolving as overseas visitors came looking for a moreauthentic experience from people with an ancestralconnection to the environment. We've got the product,what we need to do is convince the distribution chan-nels within the industry to take our product to themarket (Wharawhara, 1996, p. 3).

Experiencing an indigenous people and their culture mayleave a lasting impact on international visitors, and in-creasingly they are demanding di!erent cultural experi-ences as part of their travel package (NZTB, 1996).Cohen (cited in Ryan & Crotts, 1997), argues that mod-ern tourists are abandoning the conventional for theunusual and novel experience. `Hence tourists' interest inthe world of indigenous people can be explained asa search prompted by a desire for the new or a search forthe reala (Ryan & Crotts, 1997, p. 899). Gaining aninsight into Maori history, traditions and ways of life canprovide this distinctive or &real' experience for thesevisitors.

Maori experiences that are particularly memorableinclude: Maori guides that welcome and include visitorsgiving insights into both the Maori way of being and way

0261-5177/00/$ - see front matter ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.PII: S 0 2 6 1 - 5 1 7 7 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 0 2 6 - 1

of life; the retelling of myths and legends; exposure to artsand crafts; talking or mixing with Maori; inclusion incultural events (NZTB, 1997). However, Maori want tobe autonomous, they want to run their own show `2not just be the last three seats on the bus, the optionalextra, the clip-on, add-on, tear o!-the-coupon sidelineevent. We do not want to provide tacked-on plasticMaori experience in the venue or facilities belonging toothers. We want to provide authentic experience, learn-ing experiences, through which we learn too, interactingwith our guestsa (Mahuta, 1987, p. 1).

Many of the above desirable experiences could beprovided by one particular type of Maori tourism opera-tion * accommodation providers. However, to date,there has been little or no research carried out into theactivities of these business people. This article providessome initial "ndings based on information receivedfrom questionnaire surveys of Maori accommodationoperators.

The Aotearoa Maori Tourism Federation (AMTF) ischarged with trade lobbying and marketing for Maoritourism operations and, to facilitate this has categorisedMaori tourism products into four distinct groups. Theseare entertainment, arts and crafts, display of taongaand cultural interpretation. None of these groupseasily categorise the activities of Maori accommodationproviders (with the exception of those who providemarae stays). As a teacher and researcher within thetourism "eld, this researcher believes that some Maoriaccommodation operations are providing a unique cul-tural experience for international tourists, but they arenot being represented in the marketing that is currentlyundertaken for tourism in Aotearoa.

Because of the number and diversity of Maoriaccommodation operations in Aotearoa this writer be-lieves that accommodation operations should be recog-nised as an individual group within this larger group andmarketed as such. To support this view, informationcollected about some operations and their products willbe discussed, but initially this writer will provide anoverview of Maori hospitality, Maori tourism, theAotearoa Maori Tourism Federation and Maori tourismoperations.

2. Hospitality and Maori society

Hospitality has always been an important aspect ofMaori society and manaaki is the term used to expresslove and hospitality towards people. In Maori society thetalisman or mauri manaaki of hospitality is planted onthe left-hand side of an ancestral house. Its purpose is toremind the hosts that they should be charitable and kindto visitors. `Maori notions of hospitality (manaakitanga)meant that visitors were accorded a warm welcomea(Ryan, 1997, p. 260). The most important attributes for

the hosts are the provision of an abundance of food,a place to rest, and to speak nicely to visitors (Barlow,1991).

The importance of hospitality as part of Maori life isre#ected in a number of whakatauki or sayings that arecommonly used. For example:

Kei takahia a TahuDon't trample on Tahu

Literally translated to mean do not refuse hospitalitywhen it is o!ered (Karetu, 1987). Another example is:

E kore te kai e whai i te tua o HekemaruFood will not follow the back of Hekemaru

This whakatauki relates the story of Hekemaru, a chiefwho refuses to turn back and accept an invitation to eat,because the invitation was not issued until he had passed.This meant that the invitation had been directed to theback of his head, the most sacred part of his body(Karetu, 1987). The lesson is that hospitality must neverbeen seen as an afterthought. Yet another whakatauki is:

He tangata takahi manuhiri, he marae puehuA man who eats with visitors without being invited todo so causes dust to rise in the courtyard * this isa serious o!ence

Literally translated this means that hosts should makesure that the guests are looked after before thinking ofthemselves (Patterson, 1992). The "nal example is:

Te anga karaka, te anga koura, koi kitea ki te maraeThe husk of a karaka berry, the shell of a cray"sh,should not be seen on the courtyard

Literally translated to mean that one should not raisefalse hopes in others. Do not do anything that will leadothers to expect a treat unless you are going to provide it(Patterson, 1992).

Hospitality and providing guests with the best that onehas available has remained important in contemporaryMaori society and there are some responses from the oper-ators discussed later in this article that illustrate this fact.

Maori academics and business people also discuss theimportance of Maori hospitality, and the links totourism. Ella Henry, a Maori academic, talking aboutfarmstays and bed and breakfast operations, said that`2 tourism allows Maori to do what they do well* show their culture and hospitality (NZ Herald, 1998,p. 20). Hinurewa Te Hau said that small-scale tourismo!ered Maori the ability to use resources on hand* their culture, homes and land (NZ Herald, 1998). Ona more general note, Tommy Wilson, former president ofthe AMTF, says that Maori are natural hosts andcaterers, with good people skills (Weir, 1994).

However, Ngatata Love of Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry ofMaori Development), cautions that `Maori style hospi-tality is not always a tourism bonusa (Moore, 1997, p. 11).

84 S. Barnett / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 83}92

While he praises Maori for expanding their role in thetourism industry from simply producing arts and crafts,and presenting cultural performances into running res-taurants, bars and accommodation, he says that if Maoriwish to make money from these new ventures they haveto curb their tendency to extend hospitality too far. Ìnthe past we have tended to eat and drink away ourpro"ts. We are now learning that the cuzzies [sic] have topay * there are no free feeds when they come visitinga(Moore, 1997, p. 11).

3. The importance of Maori tourism

Tourism to Aotearoa began almost as soon as the "rstcolonisers arrived in the early 1800s. A new country wasthere to be explored complete with &noble savages' and&beautiful entertaining women' (Barnett, 1996). Many ofthe early tourists were from the whaling vessels that pliedtheir trade in the cold Antarctic waters.

Tourism soon became more formalised and Aotearoawas promoted and marketed to overseas countries asa holiday destination. Tourists were visiting the famedPink and White Terraces, near Rotorua, as early as 1860.Initially, their accommodation needs and guiding re-quirements were adequately met by Maori businesses* the "rst hotels and guiding operations in the districtwere either wholly or partly owned and operated byMaori (Sta!ord, 1977).

There is little written information available on thedevelopment of Maori tourism from the late 1800s untilthe mid 1900s; however, it appears that Maori involve-ment in tourism was limited except as a marketing imageto be used on promotional material for Aotearoa asa whole (Barnett, 1996).

On 25}27 September 1985, the Manaakitangi Hui(Hospitality and Tourism Meeting) was held in Rotorua,the purpose of which was to encourage Maori participa-tion in the tourism industry. Two speci"c objectivesemerged from this hui:

1. To establish a Maori Tourism Task Force, and2. To establish a Maori Tourism Association.

Initially, the Maori Tourism Task Force was established,and in 1987 they stated that tourism o!ered four mainbene"ts for Maori. First, it is a labour intensive industry,although this is probably only true for the larger tourismorganisations, as small restaurants or homestays wouldnot require more than one or two people for e$cientoperation. Second, because many tourism operations arein the small business category, little investment in tech-nology may be required * this is true for a homestayoperation or a trout-"shing operation. Tourism, parti-cularly small-scale accommodation, does not requirelarge areas of land & Maori have the ability to combinea land base that is often in scenic and more remote areas

of Aotearoa with tourist activities, and this is the thirdbene"t. The fourth bene"t has been discussed earlier, andthis is that tourism o!ers Maori the opportunity to usethe hospitality skills that are part of their life (Butter-worth & Smith, 1987).

However, in counterbalance, it is important to ac-knowledge that tourism is not always positive and thereare negative social, cultural, environmental and eco-nomic impacts that have to be considered. One negativeimpact comes about because increasing tourist demandfor cultural experiences, in some cases, has lead to `2&trinketised' cultures degraded traditions and madeproud people slavesa (The Independent on Sunday, 5August 1990, cited in Collier, 1997, p. 336). One of themajor impacts of tourism on indigenous cultures is thatthere is always a possibility that tourism will destroy thecultural resource on which it is based. Negative impactson the environment also have to be managed and this isparticularly relevant when Maori are involved in nature-based tourism ventures, for example, Kaikoura Whale-watch, a Maori owned whale watching operation usingboats to take tourists to view whales.

The nature of genuine Maori tourism is not so muchtied to &techniques' or the &how' (e.g., concern aboutnon-Maori manufactured objects) as to the sharing ofthe core principles, for example manaakitanga (hospi-tality and caring), arohatanga (compassion). BeingMaori means sharing knowledge, hospitality, beliefsand well being. Ultimately, this is what Maori tourismis (Urlich Cloher & Johnston, 1997, p. 3).

Maori tourism is important not only for Maori but also,in the context of international tourism, to Aotearoa. In1994 almost 350,000 international visitors visiteda Maori performance and of these approximately 110,000visited or experienced some other form of Maori tourism(International Visitor Survey, cited in Ryan, 1997). Manyinternational visitors are demanding di!erent culturalexperiences as part of their travel package and this isrecognised by the New Zealand Tourism Board in theirlong-term strategic goals for the tourism sector. Thesecond goal is identi"ed as being:

Continuing improvement in visitor satisfaction, con-sistent with the positioning of New Zealand as a dis-tinct, competitive and high value visitor destinationwith authentic experiences and a friendly welcome(1996, p. 11).

The Board carries on to state:

The Tourism Board recognised that if the New Zea-land tourism industry is to remain attractive and inter-nationally competitive it will have to continue todevelop quality products that cater to visitor demandsand help to make New Zealand a distinctive visitorexperience (1996, p. 42).

S. Barnett / Tourism Management 22 (2001) 83}92 85

Àuthentic experiencea and `distinctive visitor experi-encea are two phrases that aptly describe Maori tourismand Maori tourism product. This is more explicitly statedin the 1998 strategic plan issued by the NZTB in whichthey call New Zealand `The best holiday left on eartha.In this plan they state that individual businesses need toform networks which could focus on speci"c experiences,one being &discovering Maori culture'. The Board ex-pands this statement, stating that the main aim should beto combine a range of experiences tailored to suit theconsumers and giving the visitors a reason for visitingAotearoa (NZTB, 1998).

4. Aotearoa Maori Tourism Federation

As a result of a call by Maori for increased involve-ment in the tourism industry, the AMTF was establishedin 1988 to `support the aspirations and needsa of Maoritourism operators. This requires working to create anoperating environment that is as conducive as possible tothe success of Maori tourism operators (AMTF, 1995).

The functions of the AMTF include speci"c tasks such as:

1. Presenting the interests of our members to Govern-ment and to the industry.

2. Providing the opportunity for Maori operators tonetwork.

3. Ensuring that the tourism industry recognises and pro-tects the spiritual, physical and cultural values of Maori.

4. Marketing our members businesses (AMTF, 1995,pp. 1}2).

Roana Bennett, the former CEO of the AMTF has de-"ned Maori tourism product as `2 an opportunity pro-vided within the composite tourism product for thetourist to have contact with Maori culturea (Bennett,1995, p. 5). Using this de"nition the Federation hasgrouped Maori tourism product into four distinct cat-egories. The "rst, entertainment, refers to concerts per-formed in hotels, restaurants, on marae or in museums.The second is arts and crafts, which includes items pro-duced for tourists that are generally sold in souvenirshops, including both authentic souvenirs and &airportart'. The third category is display of taonga and this iswhen Maori cultural treasures are presented in eithera traditional museum setting or as part of a living culture,for example, marae carvings. The "nal category, culturalinterpretation, includes any tourism product that in-volves interpreting the Maori culture, for example, maraestays or guided tours, such as bush walks or tours ofhistoric Maori sites.

5. Maori tourism operations

Te Puni Kokiri have adopted a de"nition of Maoritourism which is useful, `Tourism products that utilise

cultural, historical, heritage or natural resources that areuniquely Maori with substantial Maori ownership andcontrol of the business'' (Ingram, 1997, p. 388). Thisde"nition goes one step further than that used by theAMTF and includes substantial ownership or control ofthe business. Urlich also emphasises the issue of Maoriownership when she reported &&To be Maori and sustain-able 2 tourism must be owned and run by Maori'' (1997).

When de"ning Maori tourism operations this articledraws on the de"nitions of Bennett, p. 10, Ingram andUrlich. So, to be classi"ed as a Maori tourism operationthey have to ful"l the following criteria; "rstly to providea Maori tourism product and secondly to have substan-tial Maori ownership (more than 50 per cent).

The number of Maori tourism operators in Aotearoa isrelatively small and, in 1996, 153 operations were identi-"ed (Barnett, 1996). These operations range from smallmuseums exhibiting taonga, to carving specialists sellingproducts in souvenir shops, to Maori owned tour com-panies and multi-million dollar ventures like the whale-watch operation at Kaikoura, in the South Island. Someof these operations could be classi"ed according to thecategories identi"ed by the AMTF but there weresome accommodation properties that did not easily "tinto the categories. The operations fall into the followingcategories:

Entertainment 6Arts and crafts 21Display of taonga 5Cultural interpretation 74Accommodation 47

Of the 153 operations identi"ed in 1996, 47 were identi-"ed as belonging to the accommodation sector and theseranged from marae stays to hotels. The marae was thetraditional home of Maori and today remains the centralpoint for many whanau, hapu and iwi. Family events, likeweddings, birthdays and tangi, occur on the marae withboth sleeping and eating facilities available. The 16marae stays identi"ed could be included in the culturalinterpretation category as many marae operators pro-vide guided tours or some type of interpretation for theirguests. For some tourists staying on a Marae can be anin-depth cultural experience beginning with a powhiriand concluding a few days later with a poroaki. Duringthis time the local Maori may provide interpretationrelating to the wharenui, the surrounding area and thewhanau, hapu and iwi as a whole. `For Maori, heritage isan everyday lived experience. The landscape is imbuedwith symbolic, personal, cultural and spiritual signi"-cancea (Hall, 1996, p. 160) and it is this heritage that theyare able to pass on to their guests.

However, this is not always the case and there aretimes when Marae are used purely for accommodationpurposes. So, after reclassifying the 16 Marae stays therewere 31 accommodation operations or approximately 20


per cent of Maori tourism operators who cannot beeasily classi"ed into any of the four categories.

At the time that this information was collected, RoanaBennett then Chief Executive of the AMTF, stated that:

One of the key things is the great variety of productMaori have to o!er* not just concerts and hangis butarts and crafts, adventure tourism, historical attrac-tions and marae stays. They (the tourists) want morepersonal interaction and closer experiences withMaori. They want to spend more time with Maoripeople and learn about the culture (Kennedy, 1996,p. 41).

Even in this statement there is no acknowledgement ofMaori accommodation operations or accommodation asa category of Maori tourism product, although it isstated that tourists want to spend more time with Maoripeople. Staying at a small bed and breakfast operation,small local motel or camp ground may be one of the bestways for tourists to interact with spend some time withMaori people. Pearce in 1990 said that `2 the attrac-tion for many guests was not the farm but the peopletheir lifestyles and opinionsa (Cited in Ryan, 1998,p. 236).

Beginning with this initial database of 31 accommoda-tion operations, the current research aimed to "nd outwhat products Maori accommodation operators wereproviding for tourists, how they would classify their busi-ness, and the reasons for the classi"cation.

6. Methodology

6.1. Sample

In 1998 this researcher was able to identify 53 Maoriaccommodation operators. These operators were identi-"ed on the basis that they were providing a Maoriproduct in some form and that the business was substan-tially Maori owned and controlled. This databaseincluded the updated information from 1996, accommo-dation operations listed in an AMTF membership listand those listed in the Maori Tourism Directory (TePuni Kokiri, 1998). From these three main sources thisresearcher identi"ed 53 Maori accommodation oper-ators and a questionnaire was sent to these operators inMarch 1998.

There were a total of 20 respondents, which representsa 37.7 per cent response rate. Of the 20 respondents, 14answered `yesa they did provide a Maori experience ortourism product for their guests. Providing a Maoriexperience or tourism product required to owners to bemore than just Maori, they had to actively interact withthe guests and provide interpretation of the area or toorganise Maori cultural events, for example a hangi orkapahaka group.

From this group of 14, "ve operators were selected onthe basis that they provided a Maori experience ortourism product as part of their normal tourist product.The other nine operators were providing a Maori experi-ence or tourism product when it was requested by theguest and not as part of their normal product. To beclassed as a normal product the Maori experience has tobe something that is done regularly for all guests, forexample, a hangi is put down every night and it is onereason why tourists stay at the property. These "veoperators were then sent a more detailed questionnaire.

6.2. Questionnaire design

As well as four demographic questions, the initial ques-tionnaire sent to the 53 operators contained one sectionrelating to classi"cation of property, years in operation,average length of stay for guests, how many rooms avail-able, and the charges for these rooms. There were twomore speci"c questions: one asked whether the operatorbelieved they were providing a Maori experience for theirguests, and the other asked them to describe the experi-ence. This was a very general questionnaire and the mainobjective was to ascertain whether Maori accommoda-tion operations were providing a Maori experience fortheir guests.

The second questionnaire contained four questionsthat were more speci"c. This information has been col-lated and is presented here as short case studies.

7. Results

7.1. Initial questionnaire

Some of the interesting results included the diverserange of accommodation types: holiday homes (whichwere rented out for tourist use), hotels, motels, cabins,motor camps, homestays and backpacker hostels. How-ever, as can be seen from Table 1 not all of these accom-modation types were providing a Maori experience fortheir guests.

It was surprising to see that 16 of the 20 operators hadbeen in business for longer than three years, a limitationof the questionnaire was that this question, relating totime in business, did not have a category over three years.In the majority of cases, 18 properties, the average lengthof stay of the guests was 1}3 nights. It was pleasing tonote that 11 of the properties had more than 10 roomswhile three properties have more than 30 rooms avail-able. As expected the average prices charged for roomsvaried depending on the type of accommodation pro-vided and the season.

In one question respondents were asked, &Wouldyou say that you provide your visitors with a Maoriexperience when they stay at your property?' Of the 20


Table 1Overview of 14 respondents who provide a Maori experience

Type of business Maori experience provided

Homestay `Maori, food and preparation, "shing etc. Per-sonal tour to our harbour and forests. A storytelling session/waiata in the evening.a

Homestay `Kaimoana gathering/using some traditionalmethods. General knowledge about our area, in-cluding some history. Kapahaka and waiata,Maori hospitality and fun.a

Homestay Òut guests are invited to share and experienceour history, culture, customs, hospitality. Shareour lifestyle, exchange cultures, traditional cook-ing and "shing habits.a

Homestay `Maori hospitality* aroha/awhi. Have a specialinterest in whakapapa, tuakiritanga, ta moko,migration, tribes, religious in#uences on Maoriand Maori Development.a

Backpacker Hostel is decorated with Maori carvings.Relate Maori history of the area, teach Maoriculture and visit the local marae.`Total Maori learning experience from the Treatyof Waitangi to tikanga whakaaro.a

Backpacker We provide the experience if required by ourcustomers.`We can give them any experience they requiregathering kaimoana, gardening and storingkumara, making hangi, etc.a

Motor camp Visit to local marae.Interpretation of the area from a Maoriperspective.`Just being myself.a

Cabins We are a family who are spiritually aware of ourancestors and who have a strong a$liation to ourland.`We do not have a concert partya.

Camp ground Provide history of the area and cultural food.

Holiday homes The Maori experience is `mea.

Motel `Whanaungatanga.aMaori perspective in all operations.

Hotel Maori culture group formed from the localschool.`The option is available for a Maori experience ifrequired 2.a

Hotel Ìn so much that our guests who are interested inmatters pertaining to tikanga Maori have theopportunity to talk and discuss.a

Hotel Òur hosting is based on no frills and local#avour of warmth, smiles, natural foods andplenty of laughs.a

respondents, 14 answered that they did, six said they didnot provide a speci"c Maori experience. One person whodid not provide a speci"c Maori experience replied:

The option is available for a Maori experience if re-quired by the cliental [sic].

Table 1 provides information relating to type of business,and Maori experience provided for the 14 respondentswho replied in the a$rmative.

Some of these 14 respondents provided interestinginsights into their operation and commented on theirhosting skills:

Our hosting is based on no frills and local #avour ofwarmth, smiles, natural foods and plenty of laughs.

2I treat everyone as being &special' just as I wasbrought up * visitors are treated special and wel-comed.

When asked to describe the Maori experience they wereproviding, some of the comments were particularly en-lightening. One couple had only lived in the area for eightmonths (although they were from that iwi), but had takenthe time to "nd out about the Maori history from a kuia:

I sought out one of the ladies who has lived here all herlife and basically picked her brains, she was reallyhelpful, so I pass on a lot of my/our kawa on howthings should be treated around here.

Other respondents also said they provided an experiencethat included much more than just `Maori hospitalitya:

Our guests are invited to share and experience ourhistory, culture, custom, hospitality. Share our lifestyle,exchange cultures, traditional cooking and "shinghabits.

We are a Maori family with strong a$liation to ourland. Spiritually aware of our ancestors and theirvalues in relation to the land and our environment.

One homestay owner wrote a particularly revealing com-ment about how they view hospitality and a Maoritourism product that is interwoven with their family life:

Our guests are immersed in the normal life of a Maorifamily (warts and all). They are given an insight to ourbeliefs and traditions, which are not seen on the usualtourist route.

Many of the respondents commented on the importanceof food gathering and preparation, for example:

Kaimoana gathering/using some traditional "shingmethods.I explain how my tipuna planted kumara patches nearthe marae.We give them any experience they require, gatheringkaimoana, gardening and storing kumara, makinghangi.Hangi meals are provided on arrangement.


Table 2Overview of "ve operators who responded to the second questionnaire

Name Type of business Years operating Average stay Number of rooms Average prices Ownership

Tui Motel #3 1}3 nights 26 $60}$90 WhanauKiwi Homestay #3 1}3 nights 5 $20 pp WhanauKea Hotel 2 1}3 nights 11 $50 WhanauWeka Hotel #3 1}3 nights 24 $90 WhanauKaka Backpacker #3 1}3 nights 3 $12 pp Whanau

Providing fresh kaimoana using traditional methodsand also involving clients in kapahaka and foodpreparation (e.g. hangi).

It is interesting to note the link between traditionalMaori hospitality, (where food played an important role),and what these operators are providing for their guests aspart of the Maori experience.

Although the questionnaire dealt speci"cally withMaori experiences provided to guests it is importantto remember that not all operations are owned andoperated solely by Maori:

I am a Pakeha and my partner is Maori.I combine my Maori heritage and my Pakeha heritageand deliver a bi-cultural service to all my clients. I treateveryone as being special just as I was brought upvisitors are treated special and welcomed.

Case studies: The following discussion is based on theresponses received from the second more detailed ques-tionnaire that was sent out to "ve Maori accommodationoperators. Table 2 provides an overview of each of theseoperations. Location has not been included because ofthe possibility of identi"cation * however they are allsituated in the North Island of Aotearoa.

I have given each of the respondents the name ofnative bird from Aotearoa for ease of discussion andcomparison.

Respondents were asked four questions and their re-sponses are discussed below. The "rst question asked,related directly to the four categories de"ned by theAMTF (entertainment, arts and crafts, display of taonga,cultural interpretation), and respondents were asked todescribe which category they believed best suited theiroperation and why. They were also given the option tosay that their operation did not "t into any of thesecategories.

Tui: When asked to classify their operation under thecategories provided by the AMTF, this operator repliedthat their accommodation property should be classi"edunder all four of the categories, there are parts of theMaori experience they are providing which "t into eachcategory.

Kiwi: In response to the question, this operator repliedthat they should be classi"ed under the entertainment

category because their operation includes fun, activityand adventure.

Kea: Entertainment is the category under which thisoperator believes they should be classi"ed. They comment:

Entertainment. Our business is to provide a servicewhere customers can socialise and enjoy hospitality ina friendly 2 environment

Weka: When asked about classifying their operationthis operator took a di!erent perspective and replied:

None, we are a hotel/motel complex. We provideMaori culture groups on request. We have a craft shop

2 and have some Maori crafts displayed for sale. Wealso have a display of taonga, but could not say that we"t into any category.

Kaka: This operator believes that their operation "tswithin all four of the categories provided by the AMTF.They comment:

If the tourist wanted to see arts and crafts we couldarrange through friends and whanau for them to ex-perience. Same with the other categories.

Given the varied responses it is di$cult to see whetherthe operators see themselves as being in a separate ac-commodation category or whether they "t into one ormore of the categories identi"ed by the AMTF. Tworespondents felt they belonged in the entertainment cat-egory, two said they provided elements of all four catego-ries while one respondents felt they did not belong in anyof the categories. There is enough di!erence within these"ve responses to prompt the AMTF to think aboutMaori accommodation operations and how they couldbest be categorised for marketing purposes.

In the second question respondents were askedwhether they had speci"cally set out to provide a Maoriexperience for their guests.

Tui: This operator replied that they had set out toprovide a Maori experience for their guests, but it was aninclusive part of their operation rather than an addedextra. They comment:

The Maori experience is not only dressing in tradi-tional costume, it's having a Maori greet them at thefront o$ce, rooms, bar 2


Kiwi: In answering the second question this operatorstated they had not set out to provide a Maori experiencebut their actual comments re#ect that this is what theyare currently providing:

2 creating a new business in tourism was the numberone objective. The Maori perspective which is naturalto us blended in simply.

Kea: When asked if they had speci"cally set out toprovide a Maori experience this operator stated:

No. Our business has centered on its core businesswhich is enhancing the social behaviour of our localcommunity.

Weka: In reply to the question relating to speci"callyproviding a Maori experience this operator replied thatthey did not. However, they carry on to state:

We employ Maori and are Maori ourselves, bulk ofsta! are Maori.

Kaka: When they answered the second question thisoperator went into more detail and said that althoughthey had not set out to provide a Maori experience, this isin fact what they were currently doing. They commented:

2 you just give the tourist what they want, if theywant horse treks give them horse treks, if they want toput down a hangi have a hangi.

To summarise these responses one respondent said that,yes they had deliberately set out to provide a Maoriexperience for their guests. Two others responded thatthey had not set out to provide a Maori experience butthis is what they are currently doing. The last two oper-ators also did not set out to provide a Maori experiencealthough one did state that they employ Maori sta! intheir operation.

The question that could be further asked here iswhether Maori see accommodation as a avenue for o!er-ing a Maori tourism product or experience to interna-tional visitors and whether Maori owned and operatedaccommodation operations could be promoted as anarea of economic growth for Maori.

In this more in-depth questionnaire the third questionwas quite speci"c and asked: `When you began thisventure were there any compromises between pro"t andculture that you had to makea? Responses from eachoperator are as follows:

Tui: This operator stated that they did not have tomake any compromises, `Noa was their answer.

Kiwi: Again the answer to this question is no, but theyexplained:

Diversi"cation was the main reason for developing ourtourism operation due to our other business activitiesdeclining due to Govt [sic] policy and general ruraldownturn.

Kea: Once again the answer to this question was no.Weka: In this case there is a de"nite `Noa.Kaka: There is no response to this question from this

operator.All "ve operators have answered &no' to this question.

So the question remains `Do Maori accommodationoperators see hospitality as not having a negative impacton Maori culture and traditions?a

Question four was also speci"c and asked: `To whatextent was this venture an employment creation exercisefor local Maori?

Tui: This operator answered very succinctly by stating;`Fullya.

Kiwi: The reply from this operator is also positive andthey state:

Our new venture when operating at its peak o!ers newjobs for up to four local people.

Kea: Once again the answer is positive and their an-swer is:

Our business is Maori owned and 90 per cent Maoriemployment.

Weka: This operation does employ local Maori andthey state:

Our environment has a mainly Maori population andtherefore they are employed by us.

Kaka: This operator had a di!erent response to thisquestion, saying:

You look after your family "rst. If you are lucky tohave a successful business that's when you will createemployment for others.

Four responses de"nitely say that they employ Maorista! but they do not say whether starting the operationwas an employment creation exercise or not. The "nalresponse is also positive although they do not speci"callystate that.

8. Discussion and implications

Initially (in the "rst questionnaire), all "ve respondentssaid they provided a Maori tourism experience for theirguests, however, after more detailed information wascollected in the second questionnaire it was seen thatonly two of the "ve had actually set out to providea speci"c Maori experience. The other three were provid-ing a Maori experience but this was based more on thefact that they provided what the guests requested ratherthan providing a speci"c Maori product to all guests. Ine!ect, however, all "ve operators are providing some typeof Maori tourism product for their guests and they are allproviding some employment for local Maori.


It is di$cult to draw any speci"c conclusions from thedata collected because of the small sample size and re-sponse rate to the questionnaires. However, some generalcomments can be made. According to the informationcollected a number of Maori accommodation operationshave been in business for relatively long periods of timeand they o!er a diverse range of accommodation types,with a range of prices to match. Many of these operatorsprovide a Maori tourism product for their guests but thiswas not always intentional when the business was set up.Types of Maori experience o!ered include telling guestsabout the history of the area, and myths and legends* while others organise Maori concert parties and showvisitors how to gather food using traditional methods.

This study provides an indication that Maori accom-modation operations do not appear to easily "t into thecategories identi"ed by the AMTF and maybe they arenot being fairly represented in any marketing e!orts bythe Federation. Maori accommodation operationsshould be actively marketed for the following reasons:

f they make up 30 per cent of all Maori tourism opera-tions in Aotearoa;

f operators are providing employment for local Maori;f operators do not see Maori accommodation as having

a negative impact on the Maori culture.

9. Conclusion

The unique factor that Aotearoa can use to di!erenti-ate itself from other tourist destinations is its indigenouspeople and their culture. Maori are an integral part ofAotearoa society with a diverse culture that is alive andreal. This unique culture needs to be re#ected in interna-tional marketing e!orts and particularly in tourism bythe involvement of Maori people at all levels of theindustry, and not simply just as icons or attractions.

Although this research was exploratory in nature,there are some indicative "ndings that are important forthe future of Maori accommodation operations inAotearoa. Like many indigenous people Maori need toensure that their culture is not &trinketised' or &commodi-tised' by tourism. Maori need to be in control of howtheir culture is presented to tourists and Maori accom-modation operations that provide a Maori tourism prod-uct or experience may be one of the ways for Maori todevelop in the future.

Maori accommodation operations that are substan-tially owned by Maori are in a better position to presenttheir culture than many other more commercial opera-tions because they are positioned to provide a muchsought after experience. For example, they can organisea concert, put down a hangi, discuss the history of theirparticular area, and show people how to gather foodusing traditional methods. Many of the more commercial

operations are providing one particular type of productor experience and it is almost impossible to customisethis for individual customers or groups. The other ad-vantage that Maori have when operating accommodationproperties is their long tradition of providing hospitality,making guests feel at home and part of the family.

As more and more tourists demand a unique culturalexperience as part of their holiday package, Maori cul-ture and customs provide the opportunity for Aotearoato take advantage of this trend to increase visitors, andalso foreign exchange earnings, into the new millennium.While to date the four categories of Maori tourism prod-uct that have been identi"ed by the AMTF to facilitatemarketing do not include Maori accommodation opera-tions, this is something that they need to address in thefuture.

There is more research that could be undertaken in thearea of Maori tourism and marketing generally, but these"ve case studies have provided an initial glimpse intoMaori accommodation operators and the value of theproduct they are providing.

Glossary

Aotearoa New Zealandaroha Loveawhi Cherishhangi Feast cooked in ground or steam

ovenhapu Family grouphui Meetingiwi A nation or a peoplekaimoana Seafoodkapahaka Concert partykawa Ceremonieskuia Older womankumara Sweet potatomanaaki(tanga) Hospitalitymarae Traditional Maori meeting placePakeha Person of European descentporoaki Farewellpowhiri Welcometa moko Tattootangi Funeraltaonga Highly prized propertytikanga Customtikanga whakaaro Knowledge of customtipuna Ancestortuakiritanga Personalitieswaiata Songswhakapapa Genealogywhakatauki Proverb or sayingwhanau Familywhanaungatanga Feeling of familywharenui Meeting house on the marae


Acknowledgements

This paper would not have been written without theinput of the Maori tourism operators who answered thisquestionnaire and I would like to thank them for theirimput. I would also like to thank Joanne Cheyne for hercomments and advice. The support of the editor, ChrisRyan, and the anonymous referees is also acknowledged.

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