Interpreting the narratives of Māori entrepreneurs

Abstract

A growing body of research within the realm of Mäori entrepreneurship is being produced by researchers offering powerful alternatives to Western hegemonic academic discourses. Ethnic minority research has also sought to challenge the West's construction of entrepreneurship and its lack of plurivocality, yet few entrepreneurship models have embraced intersecting theory. We think that this oversight presents a useful opportunity for enhancing the study of Mäori entrepreneurship in Aotearoa New Zealand. We take up this opportunity by identifying a framework for theorising Mäori entrepreneurship in the future built on (a) an established embeddedness model, (b) the work of a diverse research team employing a Kaupapa Mäori methodology, and (c) empirical insights from Mäori entrepreneurs.