Twenty-eight companies from eight countries across the Pacific will form the largest ever delegation of small businesses to showcase their wares at Auckland’s annual Pasifika Festival, which will be held on March 25 and 26.
The businesses are from countries far and wide across the Pacific: from the Republic of Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Everything from kava to ukuleles and taro cookies to exotic Bilum wear will be on show at the festival, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
The companies’ participation at Pasifika is under the PT&I Path to Market programme, an export capability building programme that combines the range of export facilitation services and expertise provided by PT&I to help export-ready and export-capable businesses from Pacific Island Forum countries to export to New Zealand. The programme is an extended business model that covers a series of methodical steps that are delivered in partnership by PT&I and an Economic Development Agency in each country.
Representatives of the Economic Development Agencies of each participating country will accompany their respective delegations throughout the Pasifika Festival.