Achievers Honoured At Pacific 2005 Business Awards

25 June 2005

Achievers Honoured At Pacific 2005 Business Awards

The 2005 Pacific Business Awards delighted more than 730 guests lastnight with a blend of inspirational business mentors, traditional Pacific culture and classical music.

Held at the TelstraClear Centre in Manukau, the Awards ceremony had five categories: Pacific Business Enterprise of the Year, Pacific Community Enterprise Award, Pacific Business Person of the Year, Pacific Business Leader of the Year and the premier Pacific Business Award.

In her keynote speech, Honourable Prime Minister Helen Clark said the Awards event was a great display of Pacific achievements. She presented the premier Pacific Business Award to Paul and Sarah Nelson of The Cleaning Professionals (Christchurch). Previously unemployed for many years, Paul was determined to be self-employed and joined an unemployed collective that ventured into market gardening. Today he and his wife offer a range of cleaning services through their business.

The Pacific Business Person of the Year Award went to Sulia Va’enuku of Morning Star Freight Limited in Auckland. Morning Star specialises in freight forwarding of cargoes to Tonga. She will be graduating with a degree in shipping logistics this year.

The Community Enterprise Award was won by Wellington’s Taeaomanino Trust. The Trust provides a wide range of services using Pacific models of care directed at Pacific peoples and their families. In 2004, the Trust won a Wellington Regional Award in the Educational & Child/Youth Development Category.

The Business Enterprise Award was awarded to Joe and Amanda Lam of Scalini’s Restaurant in St Heliers, Auckland. The couple bought their business three years ago and have built it up into a popular upmarket eating place. This year they branched out and bought a second restaurant – Pastavino. Their future plans are to open another restaurant in Auckland and one in Samoa.

Isabel Evans of the Ministry of Social Development in Auckland won the Pacific Business Leader of the Year Award. She is the Regional Commissioner for Social Development in Auckland and oversees nearly 1000 staff and a total budget of eighty million dollars.

Awards presenters were Dr Geoffrey Page, Chief Executive of Manukau Institute of Technology; Tim Gibson, Chief Executive of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise; Ian Hines, Executive Director of JR McKenzie Trust; and Inoke Vala, Acting Chief Executive for the Pacific Business Trust.

Guest speakers at the prestigious awards dinner included music entrepreneur, Murray Thom; Manukau City Mayor Sir Barry Curtis, Chief Pacific Business Awards Judge Nevil Gibson and Mene Su’a Mene, a long serving ex board member of the Pacific Business Trust.

The Pacific Business Awards was proudly presented by the Pacific Business Trust, Manukau Institute of Technology and Pacific Sports and Community Trust with Niu FM, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, ACC, EMA (Employment Manufactures Association), Ellis Gould Barristers and Solicitors, and Origin Pacific Airways.

ENDS

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