Celebrating Pacific Business Achievers

Celebrating Pacific Business Achievers

Tuesday 7 June 2005

New Zealand's premiere Pacific business event of the year - the 2005 Pacific Business Awards - will be held this month to honour successful Pacific Island entrepreneurs.

The black tie event will be celebrated at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau on Friday 24 June. A pan Pacific event, the awards night will attract many of NZ's influential Pacific, business, political and community figures. The prestigious awards event has five categories:

* 2005 Pacific Business Person of the Year * The Pacific Business Leader Award * The Pacific Business Enterprise Award * The Pacific Business of the Year * The Community Enterprise Award

A record number of nominees from all over New Zealand have entered the awards including many Pacific business people in provincial areas such as Otaki, Rotorua and Palmerston North.

"More Pacific people are moving out of the main centres and setting up businesses in these areas," says PBT Chair, Pauline Winter. "The types of businesses that came forward were as far and wide ranging as the geographical spread. The nominees are involved in industries such as communications, manufacturing, IT, transport, storage, accommodation and café and restaurant ownership."

54 nominees have been assessed by PBT's business support team. Their assessment information will be presented to a panel of judges on Friday 10th June to decide the finalists. The judges are headed by National Business Review Editor in Chief, Nevil Gibson and includes Tim Gibson, Chief Executive of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise; Dianne Ludwig, Principal of Gosling and Chapman Chartered Accountants; Iain Hines, Executive Director of the JR McKenzie Trust; Isaac Tuhega from the New Lynn Building Centre Ltd; Fa'amatuainu Tino Pereira, Managing Director of Niu Vision Group Ltd and Uluomatootua Aiono, founder of Cogita NZ.

Tickets to the event cost $100.00 + GST and involves a sumptuous Pacific Island buffet and special floor show by the Soifua Dance Group. Violinist, Loata Mahe, will feature during the evening and the event will be followed by dancing till midnight with Tongan band Three Houses Down. The guest speaker for the evening will be top NZ entrepreneur and music producer, Murray Thom.

The 2005 Pacific Business Awards is proudly presented by the Pacific Business Trust and Manukau Institute of Technology with Niu FM, Department of Labour, ACC, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Manukau City Council, Ellis Gould Barristers and Solicitors, EMA (Employers and Manufacturers Association) and Origin Pacific.

ENDS

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