Maintaining the empire: Maori women’s experiences in the accountancy profession

Abstract

This paper is concerned to articulate the experiences of Maori women in the accountancy profession of Aotearoa/New Zealand. It seeks to give Maori women accountants a ‘voice’, listen to their ‘stories’ and to offer some insights into the continuing impact of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s imperialist history in shaping their experiences. In doing so, our study contributes to an understanding of how the processes of colonisation within the context of the accountancy profession continue to impact on these women’s lives in particular, and Maori culture in general. We contend that the accountancy profession and its organisations need to acknowledge and begin to listen to Maori women’s experiences in order to address their concerns by working with Maori women. We also suggest that unless effective policies and strategies are developed to address the needs of Maori women, the similar needs of Maori clients might also not be met.