The Reserve Bank of New Zealand published its 2026 Māori Access to Capital Snapshot, combining voluntary information from eight banks with the latest systemwide data from Statistics New Zealand. The 2023 survey data show that 35.2% of Māori businesses requested debt finance, compared with 28.8% of non-Māori businesses, while 82.3% of Māori businesses’ requests were obtained on acceptable terms, below the 85.6% rate for non-Māori businesses. Bank reporting covers strategy, workforce capability and representation, and targeted lending support. Compared with 2025, participation rose from seven to eight banks. All eight reported internal education programs, while six reported Māori focused roles or teams and seven reported Māori talent pipeline initiatives. Five banks offered products or services for lending on Māori land, unchanged from 2025, while the number reporting services or initiatives targeted to Māori small and medium businesses fell from four to two. The voluntary, anonymized measures use differing reporting approaches and do not assess or compare individual banks.
2026-09-18Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Reserve Bank of New Zealand updates Māori access to capital snapshot, finding higher debt demand but a lower rate of acceptable terms
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s 2026 snapshot shows Māori businesses requested debt more often than non-Māori businesses in 2023 but obtained it on acceptable terms at a lower rate. Eight participating banks reported on Māori strategy, representation and lending support, with five offering Māori land lending products and two reporting initiatives targeted to Māori small and medium businesses.