An economist is welcoming government attempts to create a Trans-Tasman bubble. But he warns that we shouldn't be in a rush to go back to the old norms.
“To be honest, (the economy) wasn’t great for many Māori and even in the tourism industry. The businesses were fine, but the jobs for Māori in that industry weren’t the best paid and they weren’t the most secure," Ganesh Nana says.
Nana believes that since Māori didn't have the best paid and secure jobs before COVID, that a reset would help create better outcomes for Māori.
“It might be a good time to take this opportunity to reset that tourism sector, and that tourism industry."
The sustainable alternative, Ganesh says, would be an industry that tells stories, instead of transporting people to and from tourism sites. While he acknowledges the benefits of the Trans-Tasman bubble, he would rather see more focus on the local, or domestic tourism.
"It's critical for non-Māori New Zealanders to actually understand our story and understand our history."
He would like to see Māori businesses take charge of that effort, to educate tauiwi on these important matters.