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aleluia faafetai
ia pepese ia pepese
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·      Digital connectivity and resilience as an ongoing challenge, and the limitations of this become more pronounced during the 3 pandemic waves: particularly as experienced in Fiji. 

 

·      Some geographic ‘limitations’ has become a benefit during the pandemic and has provided opportunity to ask how development must change going forward. 

 

·      Traditional ways of doing things and relationship to resource use has provided guidance going forward. Need to look within diaspora and own communities, and enough of the external international consultant come in.

 

·      Humanitarian work can cause Pacific governments to ‘freeze’, but we are seeing civil society and diaspora mobilising to respond so important to understand this as a source of mentorship, and micro-financing. Uncertainly in all of this shows that thinking is happening about how to best respond.

·      Cultural road to commerce, which rather than be abandoned need to be taken back as a guide and finding the common language that Pacific has always had. Indigenous frameworks and culture has the tools for more effective trade, and the breaking of trade barriers means less reliance on aid. 

 

·      Historically Pacific were some of the most sophisticated and expansive traders; “Bring the trade mojo back up” and ongoing and sustained networking is part of this.

 

·       Allow the Pacific to be the driver of its own destiny. There is a place for values and what we ‘valued’. Tourism models need to be more respectful of values; environmental, etc. This might even mean ideas of capping tourism numbers. During covid, those business that already had an environment ethos or close links to nature, did much better (70% above others).

 

·       The answers to a community’s problems are within the community. Contracts that have traditionally been given to external, need to be kept and given to within.

 

·       Entrepreneurship needs to be fostered at a much younger age, too often it is implemented later in life. Support, grants and incubators need to be applied more broadly. 

 

·       There has perhaps been a lack of Māori and Pacific liaison on fostering this.It is more the case that these are not as visible as they should be (i.e. some tech providers), and we do not hear nearly enough about these… it is time to celebrate these.

 

·       There needs to be more urgency around facilitating policy to support what we are discussing today, and these need to be more locally led.

 

·       The building of robust economies and recognition of this cannot be done in isolation, so there needs to be a collective call to action. 

 

·       Working across several platforms, particularly given the advance of civil society has advanced greatly across the Pacific, and businesses (including private sector) need to stop thinking of themselves outside the development equation. Business can be more central within the development conversation. 

 

·       Economic wellness within the region requires greater connected and resilience made up of, human and social development, livelihoods, and community wellness objectives. Support for women is core to this.

 

·       Availability of capital and commerce supporting infrastructure will be vital going forward, and the recovery following the impact of the pandemic. Need to ensure opportunities for business partnership, not just economic support, but also how to partner and understanding opportunities.

·      Defining the problem:

o   What do businesses need, not just government to government, and the communications channels in the region?

o   How do we help business that have been impacted to come back quickly, particularly given the size of the infrastructure in NZ. Or even you might be a Māori business that just wants to expand into the pacific.

o   Is there too much governance/ Government or rules and regulations? Its already hard to start, drive and plan a business without dealling with all the requirements, and this is even more so when it comes to some finance requirements.

 

·      Identity opportunities and challenges:

o   Skills and capacity building, and education. It is also about sustainability and retention of skills based.

o   Pacific businesses might be time-limited and don’t have the same deliberations on what other requirements might be.

o   The need to build more effectively and mutually beneficial relationships between Pacific-based and New Zealand based Pacific communities. In the Pacific, there are some that might be resistance to accepting NZ-based help, so a change of mind-set might need to be fostered.

o   Pacific governments need to provide more incentive to work at home, and removing some of the barriers to doing business. What is the carrot or active promotion to bring some Pacific business people to ‘come back’ (?) this is important to relationship-building. The ‘why’ is not there that makes it competitive to other foreign investors or locations.

o   There is a fear of failure, and this could be driven by a lack of support… the lessons learnt from this is more important.

 

Quick wins:

o   Tax breaks. 

o   Iwi and diaspora is some ways needs to come up with the solutions, and in some ways this is what the government system is waiting for. What is the ‘right idea’, and the inspiration that will allow them to run with it?