Rawiri Bhana explaining the 'Tautoko' kaupapa. Source / File.
A new Facebook Group called 'Tautoko' has been set up to help Māori businesses recover from the effects of COVID-19.
Group founder Rawiri Bhana created the forum so that he could promote businesses in his community. Bhana has seen firsthand the effects that the lockdown has had on his whānau.
“I’ve got cousins, there’s 5, 6, 7 of them in the home, and they’ve all lost their jobs," Bhana says.
Bhana spoke about the "domino effect" that came with these job losses. The people who are supported by these workers are now left with no support. With the country scaling down to Alert Level 3, it's difficult to know when things will be back to normal.
“So many of our whānau and wider whānau aren’t working, and may not ever go back for a long time," Bhana says.
When Bhana started the group, he didn't realise that over 100 businesses would join the group so soon. Poutama Trust and Te Puni Kōkiri have reached out to him as well so that they can combine their efforts. He further explains his rationale.
“They’ll (big businesses) survive, but our smaller Māori businesses who I know, may not survive out of this.”
More information on Tautoko can be found here.