There is a growing interest in the value that indigenous knowledge can bring to business, and this is reflected in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.

In New Zealand the indigenous Māori language and culture can be seen reflected in the CSR of some of the largest corporates. The value of the Māori economy means there are business opportunities for companies that embrace the language and culture, and can engage more meaningfully with Māori entities.

This study looks at how Māori words are used by two large New Zealand telecommunications companies, Vodafone New Zealand and Spark New Zealand, and how this relates to CSR. The study found that both companies made Māori words stand out in their reports, giving an initial impression that Māori words were widely used. However, the results showed that the two companies used Māori words infrequently and inconsistently, and this was likely because they were in the early stage of using Māori language as part of their CSR. This is indicative that CSR in New Zealand is following the global trend and evolving to embrace more indigenous knowledge.

The investigation found that Māori words were scattered through the companies’ websites and reports. Only 2% of the words used in the Why Vodafone section of the Vodafone New Zealand website were Māori, and the rest in English. In the Vodafone Sustainable Business Report 2020, 3.3% of the words used were Māori. In the Spark corporate website, 0.6% of the words used were Māori, and in the Spark Annual Report 2021, 0.7% of the words used were Māori.

Both companies used Māori words more frequently in relation to particular stakeholders such as Government, Customers, Māori and Employees. It was less common to use Māori words in relation to Investors, and rare for either company to use Māori words when communicating messages relating to stakeholders such as the Board, Competitors or Suppliers. This meant that Māori words appeared in some sections of the companies’ websites and reports, but not others.

The thematic analysis identified the same two overarching themes for both companies:

1. Image-building: The company’s efforts to enhance its reputation, particularly in relation to its use of Māori words.
2. Government interest: The company’s use of Māori words in relation to certain stakeholders, and how this aligns with Government interest.

Nation-branding was an important sub-theme which resulted from the two companies’ focus on ‘a better future for New Zealand’. This was the most frequently mentioned topic in the Spark corporate website and the Vodafone Sustainable Business Report 2020. It was the fourth most frequently mentioned topic in the Spark Annual Report 2021 and the eighth most frequently mentioned in the Why Vodafone section of the Vodafone New Zealand website.

While the study is limited to two companies, it is significant as a baseline for further studies, in an area that has not been widely researched to date. It also builds on Fernando and Lawrence’s integrated theory of CSR and demonstrates how stakeholder, institutional and legitimacy theories can be combined to explain CSR practices.