How priorities change as Māori enterprises grow
Using a vignette exercise we asked experienced Māori governors to allocate effort across four capability areas (technical skills, financial management, premium markets, and relationships/governance) under three enterprise conditions (struggling, emerging, and leading). The method draws on an ‘impartial spectator’ approach, which involves using hypothetical but realistic scenarios that reveal underlying priorities without the politics of a live decision. The decisions made by the Māori governors revealed their views on capability areas under the different enterprise conditions.
Struggling enterprise:
Here, most leaders put technical skills first (53% chose it as the top effort), with premium markets deprioritised (0% top). Relationships polarised the group: nearly half made them the top priority (47%), while just over half put them last. Finance mattered, but seldom as the top priority.
Emerging enterprise:
Technical skills often stayed high (53% top), finance remained a strong second-tier focus for most, and premium markets began to rise (13% top). The split on relationships persisted, with over half still rating them minimal while a minority kept them front and centre.
Leading enterprise:
Attention pivoted outward: premium markets became dominant (53% top; 93% top two). Technical skills were maintained (almost everyone still gave at least moderate effort), but they seldom led (7% top). Finance receded for many, and relationships were still split into two camps: 40% put them first, 60% put them last.
Two governance types emerged.
- Operations first leaders emphasised technical and financial foundations early, shifting to markets once stable.
- Relational first leaders invest in trust, cohesion, and tikanga as the engine for progress at every stage. Younger governors tended to pivot sooner towards markets and relationships, while older governors held fast to ‘get the basics right’ throughout.
Together, the results offer a simple road map: sequence capability investment to match enterprise stage, and be explicit about governance philosophy so that the team moves coherently and gives Māori enterprises the best chance to thrive.