Welcomed desire about the Maori (7)
I believe the answer is:
greeted
'welcomed' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'desire about the maori' is the wordplay.
'desire' becomes 'greed' (greed is a kind of desire).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'the maori' becomes 'te' (I've seen this in other clues).
'greed' placed around 'te' is 'GREETED'.
(Other definitions for greeted that I've seen before include "Saluted, hailed" , "Acknowledged" , "Said hello" , "Welcomed warmly" .)