PTI NZ brings Melanesia on Path to Pasifika Business Market

Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will be part of this year’s new Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) NZ Pasifika Business Market at Auckland’s Pasifika Festival.
More than 35 companies from 12 Pacific Island countries will be at Pasifika as part of PTI’s Path to Market programme.  The Pasifika Business Market is located beside the Samoa Village in front of Western Springs stadium.
For some businesses it is their first Pasifika Festival and a first glimpse of the New Zealand market.
But they will also introduce their own authentic locally made products using local resources reflecting their own individual country’s culture, unique foods and products.
PTI NZ Trade & Investment Commissioner Michael Greenslade said, “This year’s engagement by Pacific Trade Invest is our third year in a row.  The growth over the last two years has been significant and this year we will have 40 different companies coming from 11 different countries.”
Mr Greenslade said the concept of widening ATEED’s Pasifika festival to engage the commercial sector had worked and PTI have combined the Path to Market programme Pasifika as a basis for Pacific Island companies to build awareness of the New Zealand market.
“Last year we had 24 stands, this year we have 40.  The Path to Market programme also involves several capability-building workshops and direct introduction to buyers outside the Pasifika event.
It’s a huge undertaking but has the potential to pay huge dividends for the Pacific companies and their countries over time.”
PTI’s Pasifika Business Market is part of the Pasifika Festival managed by Auckland Council’s ATEED.

PTI NZ have worked closely with ATEED to stage the new Pasifika Business Market as part of its Path to Market programme.  PTI NZ has brought Pacific Island businesses to the Pasifika Festival since 2016 as part of Path to Market placing them in various villages.
PTI NZ’s Path to Market is a 7-stage programme aimed at helping Pacific Island businesses understand the New Zealand market.  PTI NZ works with its in-country partners to host a Path to Market workshop as the first stage of the programme.  Potential exporters are identified and invited to attend Auckland’s Pasifika Festival as part of the programme.  A Gap Analysis workshop, Site visits and one to one business meetings are held in Auckland after Pasifika.
The PNG companies are Namalu Coffee and Gray Café; Oshin Organics Skincare and handicrafts from PNG Artisan Culture and the Bilum Exporters and Promotion Authority (BEPA PNG).
The Solomon Islands has Pacific Farm Holding and Solomon Islands Small Business Enterprises.  Whilst Vanuatu will have four businesses including coffee producers.
Companies from Melanesia and the North Pacific will be hosted at the Pasifika Business Market.  You will find all the company profiles featured by country in https://pacificperiscope.wordpress.com/
For several companies the Path to Market is far away cyclones and other natural disasters that many have had to face in the last few months.  Tonga was impacted recently by Cyclone Gita, with several businesses withdrawing from Path to Market as a result.  The PNG highlands had earthquakes and more than 100 people are estimated to have perished.  PTI NZ is planning to support the relief efforts in those countries with fundraising efforts at the Pasifika Business Market.

Press Release