Young gun Georgia Latu won the Young Māori Business Leader Award. Photo / Supplied
Young gun Georgia Latu won the Young Māori Business Leader Award. Photo / Supplied
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Working alongside Māori in business has made Asia NZ director Nick Siu feel "respected" as a "guest" on Aotearoa's whenua, and he can also take pride in assisting New Zealanders in acquiring the knowledge, abilities, and connections they need to thrive inAsia.
Asia NZ sponsored the Young Māori Business Leader Award, won by 16-year-old Georgia Latu.
The teenager is the CEO behind Pōtiki Poi, the largest poi manufacturer in the world. She was the only prizewinner who gave a speech entirely in te reo Māori, thanking her mum primarily, broader whānau and a beloved friend - while further encouraging the room to poipoia ngā rangatahi (nurture the children).
One person said that even though she did not understand what Latu was saying - she could feel the wairua of her kōrero and waiata.
"It sent shivers up my spine," she said. "Especially when she started singing. I was on the brink of tears."
Earlier this month, Latu took 22,000 poi to the Women's Rugby World Cup opening match where the taonga were front and centre on a global stage for the first time. Latu is curious to see who might be next to welcome the challenge of poi use beyond the kapa haka stage.
Siu says Latu is an outstanding young lady with a vision and much imagination for culture and commerce. She exhibits enthusiasm and imagination which he says are two of the most powerful forces in the world.
His colleague Asia NZ's Māori adviser Tania Te Whenua added: "The entire night has been a celebration of Māori talent.
"There is a consistent pipeline of outstanding Māori talent which is inspiring, and doing amazing things all with Māori values at their core."
Tama Toki was another of the winners at Thursday's sold-out Ngā Taumata Rau Aotearoa Māori Business Leaders Awards, as was his business, Aotea Skincare.
Toki uses knowledge passed down to him by his grandmother to make tonics and skincare products that capture the healing properties of native plants and find markets in Japan, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam ready to embrace them.
"It's an awesome feeling to be building a value-driven business that adheres to principles of tikanga Māori on his papakāinga and an added bonus to discover a huge appetite for brands like Aotea in Asia."
He was the winner of te tohu mō te kaiārahi Rakahinonga Māori - the Māori Entrepreneurial Leader Award. In the Māori translation it can literally translate to an award recognising "a leader of future Māori leaders".
Aotea's marketing genius, Teegan O'Connor says: "The brand is unique in the sense that we have complete autonomy and sovereignty over all facets of the company. We grow, harvest and extract on our own papakainga over on Aotea. We also built the distillery and machinery we use and built the solar panels that run the farm too.
"It's actually such a sick company. We have our own hives too. The work culture is really good - we're only a young team and Aotea really allows us to learn and grow."
She recognises Tama as a leader who is making history out of love and passion for the land, and she also notes that he is always working on new ways to sustain.
Tama Toki won the Māori Entrepreneurial Leader Award and Kaitiaki Business Leader Award. Photo / Supplied
"He's so busy at the moment, it's insane. Tama is so humble too. He did not tell anyone he was winning this award," she laughed.
With respect to the values of the host "inspiring tauira to take their place in a growing economy grounded in Māori worldviews", for Asia NZ it is also about providing opportunities for rangatahi such as business internships, leadership networks and two-way entrepreneurship programmes in Asia to meet outstanding business people.
List of winners:
Te tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rangatahi Māori i te ao Pakihi Young Māori Business Leader Award.
Winner: Georgia Latu (Kai Tahu, Ngāpuhi)
Te tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rakahinonga Māori: Māori Entrepreneurial Leader Award.
This award recognises a person who has created/built/is building a successful business that's recognised internationally, driving innovation and entrepreneurship.
Winner: Tama Toki (Ngāti Rehua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi)
Te tohu Taumata Rau. This award specifically recognises an iwi, hapū, or marae-based business with a strong cultural ethos portrayed in the global arena.
Winner: Kono NZ LP
Te tohu mō te Whakatairanga i te Kete Aronui i te ao Pakihi Kaitiaki Business Leader Award. This award recognises a business that promotes and achieves environmentally sustainable outcomes.
Winner: Aotea
Te Tohu Whakanuia te Rangatira a Mānuka Henare. This award is in honour of the late Māori academic Dr Mānuka Henare. It recognises education, service and leadership that has positive local and global impacts for Māori and indigenous communities.
Te tohu Kairangi mō te Ihorei Pakihi Māori Outstanding Māori Business Leadership Award. This award recognises a kaupapa Māori business that has achieved significant success that demonstrates transformation in their industry, sector or community.
Winner: North Drill Ltd
North Drill is a fast-growing Whangarei-based drilling company that proactively works to improve the wealth and wellbeing of its people.
Te tohu Rātā Whakaruruhau a te Kahurangi Mira Szászy Dame Mira Szászy Lifetime Award.
Winner: Robin Hapi, CNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu)
Robin has held a range of governance and executive leadership positions of importance for Māori development. He remains engaged in various projects involving Māori, community, sporting, educational and environmental initiatives.
Te tohu Kairangi mō te Kaiārahi Pakihi Māori Outstanding Māori Business Leader Award. This award recognises a person who has achieved exceptional success in their career and demonstrated outstanding leadership whose influence extends beyond the confines of their role.
Winner: Steve Saunders (Ngāi Te Ahi, Ngāti Ranginui)
Steve is an innovative agritech entrepreneur who thinks big in his quest to solve challenges to feed the world with smart automation and intelligent robotics while upholding the value of kaitiakitanga, guardianship of the environment.
