Farm management consultancy services and Maori farmers

Abstract

This paper reports the findings from a study of 218 farm management consultants, 118 of whom had Maori farmers in their client base. The paper presents information on the experience of the consultants, their ethnicity, age and professional development activities the consultants undertook to improve their ability to consult with Maori, together with the ownership structures of the Maori clients. The paper reports the consultants' perceptions of the factors important for successful consultancy with Maori as being good consulting practice, cultural sensitivity, understanding the complexities of Maori ownership structures and appropriate personal practice. Information for the study came from a mail survey and from personal interviews with ten consultants, each of whom had at least six Maori clients. The personal interviews enabled issues raised in the survey, in particular factor s important for successful consultancy with Maori, to be explored in more depth. Keywords: consultancy services, Maori farmer