Kaimahi Māori offer skills, knowledge, perspectives and values

It's important to remember and acknowledge intersectionality, as everyone has multiple identities and experiences discrimination and privilege differently.

The kaimahi Māori workforce contributes significantly to Aotearoa New Zealand’s construction and infrastructure sectors. Kaimahi Māori represent 16.7% of the construction workforce, equating to about 48,500 individuals, highlighting that kaimahi Māori participation is vital to the sector's growth and sustainability.

Kaimahi Māori offer skills, knowledge, perspectives and values which can greatly benefit business performance and productivity as building cultural competency and integrating Māori perspectives, values, and practices into projects grows in importance.

Ensuring workplaces for kaimahi Māori that foster greater inclusion and respect of Māori values and cultural norms and connections to Te Ao Māori will build a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture.

Kaimahi Māori, like all kaimahi, deserve to be treated equally and respected, ensuring a more diverse and resilient construction and infrastructure sector.

Key statistics

• 16% of kaimahi Māori work in New Zealand’s construction workforce
• 14% of Māori owned businesses make up all construction businesses
  • 6% is within construction (4,854)
  • 4% is within service (505)
  • 4% is within infrastructure (226)
• 53% of Māori sole traders make up all construction businesses
  • 22% of construction (5627)
  • 11% of service (135)
  • 20% of infrastructure (151)
• Of people lost to suicide, 21.3% were Māori compared to 16% who were lost from the Māori population outside of construction.

Common workplace barriers

• Lack of culturally relevant workplaces
• Systemic biases in business and employment practices
• Harassment and discrimination
• Lack of representation in senior roles
• Reduced income, due to the ethnic pay gap.

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