The World Expo being hosted in Dubai in 2020 will feature the best of New Zealand products and services, and Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc chairman Ngahiwi is working on Hawke's Bay having a strong presence.
In this year's Budget, the Government committed $53.3 million over the next four years to design, construct, operate and promote a New Zealand pavilion that would showcase Kiwi products and open doors to new export markets.
Mr Tomoana has been in discussions with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the past two years, keen to have the iwi and the region feature in a strong position in the pavilion.
He has visited Dubai twice over the past 18 months building contacts with supermarkets, retailers, wholesalers and within the IT industry.
On top of that, yesterday he hosted United Arab Emirates (UAE) New Zealand ambassador Saleh Ahmad Alsuwaidi for a tour of some of the region's Ngati Kahungunu and other businesses.
After a powhiri at Waipati Marae, the tour took in Rockit Apples, Arataki Honey and St Georges Restaurant.
It was the ambassador's first time in Hawke's Bay and he enjoyed visiting the companies.
"I'm really happy and proud to see how close the relationship is between UAE and New Zealand."
At Arataki Honey, sales manager Rhys Flack conducted a tour through the production factory and visitor shop and the ambassador noted that honey was a precious product in UAE for health, and for eating.
"It's part of our culture - we have many types of honey - it's a high status food in the Middle East, particularly honey that comes from the mountain areas away from the cities."
Mr Tomoana hoped the visit would encourage more companies to take part in the expo.
Ngati Kahungunu hoped to be there with fresh tuna, crayfish and other seafood, an option that had become available since the introduction of direct 17-hour flights to Dubai.
"At the expo, the pavilions are around for six months afterwards to use as touch point into the market.
"We'd like to get a week or two weeks to showcase Hawke's Bay products, our chefs, our producers, and we will be looking at arranging meetings with partners or potential partners, such as companies and wholesalers before 2020.
"We want to build the connections up so when we go to Dubai in 2020 we go as friends rather than strangers."
In the meantime, the aim was to send some key contacts to the Global Food Expo in Dubai in February next year and investigate the potential for some of those buyers to come to Hawke's Bay.