Everyone has an opinion about Covid-19 and Tā Mark Solomon is no exception.
He read a story in his local paper in Christchurch suggesting Māori were getting faster vaccinations than the rest of the country.
“Well, interestingly, my Pākehā wife got her notice before I got mine, and I'm older than her,” Solomon says.
The former kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu was talking to Te Ao Māori News today as a book about his life Mana Whakatipu, written by journalist Mark Revington was published.
The book charts Solomon's journey from freezing worker and foundryman to kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Solomon was elected as a representative for Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura and subsequently as chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in 1998, three days before the iwi's Treaty of Waitangi settlement was passed.
'Servant to the people'
“We started off with a settlement of $170 million. When I finished in 2017 we were at $ 1.6 billion net. It was a magnificent journey with the people on developing and growing the settlement assets.”
Despite the fact that Covid-19 has had an impact on businesses, particularly in the tourism industry, Solomon believes the future for Ngāi Tahu is bright. “We will continue growing. We will continue serving our people.”
Solomon says Ngāi Tahu has done a “pretty good job” given the conditions. He believes the Delta strain is bad and that Covid-19 is here to stay, wreaking havoc on our economy and health.
Mana Whakatipu features his views and insights into business, the economy, and personal welfare.
Solomon credits his late grandfather Rangi Solomon and his father's siblings, who he describes as "modest and respectable people," with being the most influential people in his life.
“My grandfather always said a true rangatira is a servant, a servant to the people. They were the biggest influence on my life,” he says.
Climate change
Solomon believes climate change is the most significant threat that Māori and all New Zealanders will face. He says Ngāi Tahu is Aotearoa's fifth-largest fishing enterprise and the sea is currently in flux.
“We're now catching kingfish and snapper in the Southern Ocean where we've never heard of them being before. Traditionally, snapper used to come into the waters of the South Island around the start of spring and would be leaving heading back north towards the end of autumn. Well, we’re now catching snapper all year round.”
He says temperature fluctuations in the sea will have a significant impact on the prospective returns for all iwi.
“So climate change to me is the biggest issue that's confronting iwi and the rest of New Zealand.”
Solomon believes they will overcome it, as evidenced by t2003, when the foreign currency rate between Aotearoa and the United States rose above US68 cents, causing most fishing enterprises to lose money, and then in 2004 when it rose from US80 to US90 cents.
“We all had to pivot and learn how to operate under those frameworks. We were still making profits at the end when it was over US90 cents. So we had to change. And the same with climate change.”