A humble New Zealand-grown olive leaf championed by a high school student could soon be helping people in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Gulf region with their cardiovascular health.
The leaf is the basis of a supplement developed by Kerikeri High School student Max Donaldson and was showcased at the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion at Expo2020 Dubai.
Donaldson's GreenKiwi Supplements was one of two winning Kiwi teams of the New Zealand at Expo and Young Enterprise Global Kaitiakitanga Project (the other was Abalro Health) who visited Dubai to promote their companies and to learn more about doing business in the region.
Donaldson was joined on the five-day visit by Abalro Health's Robert Donohoe, Abby Green and Alex Livingstone along with Elizabeth Pittman from Young Enterprise.
Donaldson is passionate about the olive leaf and has developed the first-to-market, New Zealand-grown olive leaf supplement which is said to support immune and cardiovascular health, from what is normally an industry biproduct. He is marketing the product for the global nutraceutical market.
Abalro Health has created a supplement to help those suffering from acne through harnessing the power of raw barberries. It is estimated that 80 per cent of the population will at one time in life suffer from acne and, Donohoe says, studies show that barberries may reduce acne by up to 43 per cent in four weeks.
Using locally sourced products and reusable packaging, Abalro is the only New Zealand-based company using barberries.
The two companies were among a diverse range of Kiwi businesses, culture and entertainment showcased at the global event. Clayton Kimpton, Commissioner-General for New Zealand at Expo says the Expo "has been a unique opportunity for New Zealand to connect with the world at every level and is a springboard for New Zealand businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed on the global stage."
On the trip Donaldson and the other young business leaders met with senior representatives from New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) to understand more about doing business in the region, the natural health products market and to get feedback on their business plans.
They toured the New Zealand Pavilion to see how the story of kaitiakitanga or Care for People and Place, was being told to an international audience and explored other countries' pavilions with sustainability themes.
"The pride I had representing New Zealand at Expo 2020 could not have been higher," says Donaldson. "The vision, the story-telling NZTE has developed promoted New Zealand private sectors with dignity.
"It fitted in almost all sectors of our economy with the primary and high-value manufacturing industries taking the lead – all while respecting our bicultural identity."
Abalro's Donohoe, Green and Livingstone all agreed the trip to the Expo was the greatest experience of their lives. "The scale is hard to describe, but it is simply awe-inspiring and being part of such an event was an amazing opportunity, one we will most certainly cherish for life.
"Seeing innovative products with important applications from all over the globe has inspired us to keep developing our products," they say.
In keeping with the spirit of international collaboration at the Expo, the two teams also met young business leaders from Italy and Austria at a pitch event held at the Italian Pavilion to learn how others are incorporating sustainability into their businesses.
The young entrepreneurs also went on Studio Expo's live television show to discuss their companies and gave interviews to Dubai-based media.
The sustainability-focussed Global Kaitiakitanga Project was a joint New Zealand at Expo and Young Enterprise programme providing high quality business mentoring and international collaboration opportunities for the young innovators.