The impact of The Warehouse on New Zealand small towns: A discussion paper with specific reference to Maori

Abstract

This discussion paper is based on empirical material looking at the social impact of The Warehouse (TW) on small town NZ. The results of this research show that Māori have a more positive orientation to The Warehouse than the non-Māori population. This paper provides some explanations of why this could be the case in small town New Zealand. The discussion paper suggests that large-format retail researchers need to be more careful when arguing that large-format retailers negatively affect small towns: the impact of their entry depends on socio-economic factors and the ethnic circumstances of various groups in the community and their outlying areas.