Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) New Zealand has organised its biggest contingent to attend this year’s Pasifika Festival which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Twenty-eight companies from eight Pacific Island countries will be travelling to Auckland from 23-30 March to test their products in the New Zealand market as part of the next step in PT&I’s Pacific Path to Market Programme.
The companies are from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
Pacific Path to Market (PPTM) is an export capability building programme that covers a series of methodical steps to entering an export market.
The programme is delivered in partnership by PT&I NZ and an Economic Development Agency in each country.
With a large selection of authentic Pacific Island products ranging from fresh produce (taro), kava powder, noni juice, bilum bags, chocolates and beauty products, this trade mission represents a unique opportunity for participants to test and sell their products to a New Zealand audience, gain market insights and secure export deals.
“PPTM is specifically designed to respond to the exporters’ needs. We have a comprehensive programme in place that will help our clients learn more about exporting to New Zealand, understanding the market and the practicalities of doing business with a New Zealand buyer,” says Joe Fuavao, PT&I Trade Development Manager.
PT&I has held a series of PPTM programmes around the region to help businesses progress and understand the necessities required for exporting to New Zealand and develop their businesses to an export-ready stage through workshops and mentoring.
This year, PT&I has organised large contingents from Melanesia and Polynesia reflecting the closer distance to New Zealand shores.
Ian Furlong, PT&I Trade Development Manager says, “PT&I NZ looks forward to warmly welcoming the participants in this year’s Pasifika programme. We are confident that many of these companies will successfully begin to export their products to New Zealand in the future.”
It’s a very long way to travel for representatives from Palau and the RMI who will journey over two days by a series of flights to arrive in New Zealand in time for the festival. But it’s worth the trip for Palau’s coconut candy and various cookies made from taro and other root crops.
A treat in store for handicraft connoisseurs will be the RMI who are renowned across the Pacific and internationally for their distinctive style and quality in handicrafts.
Nine companies will come from the Polynesian sub-region. Among these will be Samoa’s bottled water, healthful turmeric juice, the delicacy of Palolo pate and fashion printed shirts and Tonga’s fresh produce, smoked seafood, virgin coconut oil and skin care.
PT&I has organised a comprehensive programme for the delegation that will arrive in New Zealand on Thursday a day before Pasifika.
On the Monday following Pasifika, PT&I has organised workshops for the delegation before they fly back to their respective islands on Tuesday.
PT&I is proud to deliver PPTM 2017 with the assistance of the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Consumer, Trade, Innovation and Labour of Tonga, the Fiji Export Council, Investment Promotion Authority (Papua New Guinea), Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Small Business Development Centre (Palau), Office of Commerce and Investment (RMI) and Samoa Association of Manufacturers and Exporters (SAME).
Photo: File photo