Harnessing Trade Opportunities Through Ethnic SMEs

22 May 2013

Harnessing Trade Opportunities Through Ethnic SMEs

The EPIC NZ 2013 conference which will be held in Auckland this Friday will be a key networking event to connect New Zealand’s ethnic and mainstream small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to better harness potential trade opportunities.

Director of the Office of Ethnic Affairs Mervin Singham said that the conference is aimed at helping New Zealand businesses tap into the international networks and expertise of migrant business people in New Zealand.

“There is a huge untapped potential here”, says Mr Singham.

“New Zealand’s diverse ethnic population offers a wealth of skills, experience and global links. We have a wide range of ethnic people in New Zealand who have an in-depth firsthand understanding of the markets and the way businesses operate in their countries of origin. More importantly, they may also have the connections that can help New Zealand businesses gain that all-important foothold when they are pursuing new markets overseas.”

“We want to see stronger connections between ethnic and mainstream SMEs in New Zealand. These connections open the door to a world of potential markets and investment, creating economic and trade opportunities for New Zealand,” Mr Singham says.

About 350 participants have already registered for the conference organised by the Office of Ethnic Affairs. They include mainstream and ethnic SMEs from a wide range of industries, as well as representatives from government agencies.

The conference will provide participants with insights into how other ethnic people in commerce have overcome barriers to succeed in New Zealand. It will also help SMEs to gain valuable tips from some of the most successful Kiwi entrepreneurs who have grown their business by trading overseas. Hon Judith Collins, Minister for Ethnic Affairs will open the conference.

Key speakers at EPIC NZ 2013 include:
Dr Privahini Bradoo, founder and CEO of e-waste company Blue Oak is our keynote speaker. She is a New Zealander who was recently named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Privahini was also the founding CEO of Spark, a not-for-profit initiative focused on promoting entrepreneurship in New Zealand, which has successfully helped start over 70 companies in the last 10 years.

Tenby Powell is Chairman of the Government appointed Small Business Development Group, established to advise Government on issues affecting SMEs and founder of the NZ SME Business Network

Christopher Luxon is the CEO of Air New Zealand. Prior to taking up the new role in January he was President and CEO of Unilever Canada.

Tim Baxter is the CEO for DHL Express operations in New Zealand, Fiji and the Pacific Islands. He has spent 15 years living and working throughout Asia.

Website: www.epicnz.co.nz

EPIC NZ 2013
1pm - 5pm
24th May 2013
Langham Hotel, 83 Symonds St, Auckland

1.00 Arrival of guests
1.10 Opening Address - Hon Judith Collins, Minister for Ethnic Affairs
1.20 Fred Ohlsson, Managing Director, Business Banking, ANZ NZ
1.30 Mervin Singham, Director, Office of Ethnic Affairs
1.45 Keynote Speaker, Privahini Bradoo, CEO, BlueOak
2.15 Break
2.30 Plenary Session - Power of Connections
- Tenby Powell – Founder/Exec Director of Hunter Powell Investments
- Christopher Luxon - CEO, AIR NZ
- Tim Baxter - Country Manager DHL Express NZ & Pacific Islands
- Privahini Bradoo - CEO, BlueOak
3.30 Break
3.50 Knowledge Exchange sessions
1 Blueprints - How to make the most of Government services
Panelists: Mitchell Pham, Managing Director, Augen Software; Andree Lee, Client Engagement Team Acting Manager, Statistics New Zealand ; Paulo Garcia, Director, Garcia Law

2 Leading by Example - Success Stories of connections in action
Panelists: Trevor Yaxley, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Huhu Studios; Robson Liang, Director, International Education Fund Ltd; Chairman, Tai Chi Investments; Marcel Lee, Director, Asaph Global Limited HK, Deep Waters International

3 Reaching your market - Strategies to make your business grow
Lucy Cruickshank, Management Consultant, Innov8 Aotearoa :Martin Pouwels, Managing Director, Niche Media and EMINZ ;Shirish Paranjape, International Sales Manager, AuCom Electronics
5.0 Finish and networking

ENDS

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