2007 MIT Pacific Business Awards
TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre
Friday 15 June 2007
We want to recognise the Pacific business people who are succeeding in their fields, which may not sit under the definition of Pacific business. Their contribution to this country and Pacific business is as significant and needs to be recognised. Seeing the finalists and winners in this year’s awards only makes me more confident that we are carving out a very bright future for our families and our communities. - Pacific Business Trust CEO Paul Muller. 
The 2007 MIT Pacific Business Awards winners are:
MIT Pacific Business of the Year Award
Martin Hautus The Pacific Peoples Learning Institute
Pacific Blue Business Person of the Year Award
Dahlia Naepi
imPAC Community Enterprise of the Year Award
West Fono Health Trust
Pacific Media Network Pacific Business Enterprise of the Year Award
The Laughing Samoans
Eteuati Ete and Tofiga Fepulea’i
ACC Health and Safety Award
South Seas Healthcare of South Auckland.
PBT Pacific Exporter of the Year Award
Flight Experience Limited
PBT Pacific Business Executive of the Year Award
Viliami Toafa
Some of the best Pacific business minds in New Zealand took top honours in the MIT Pacific Business Awards, held on Friday June 15th.
More than 700 people gathered at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau to celebrate this year’s awards, which not only recognise Pacific business successes but also the impact that success is having on the country as a whole.
These awards give us an opportunity to put the spotlight on some of our most inspiring and motivating Pacific success stories. This in turns encourages our young people to strive to reach their full potential, and provide a pathway for other Pacific businesses to follow,” Pacific Business Trust chair Pauline Winter says.
“So often when a Pacific person becomes successful in their field they become a New Zealand success story, while we should certainly join the country in celebrating that persons success, it is also critical that we make sure the Pacific story remains centre stage in those celebrations, that is what these awards do, and that is why this year the theme of the awards is Pacific Impact – Transforming The World,” she says.
Also making a Pacific Impact on the world were a range of talented Pacific Artisits who included the all time classic, The Yandall Sisters who had the audience calling for an encore of their 70s hit Sweet Inspiration. The song proved to be a feature amongst the award winners during their speeches. Local Jazz act Fred and Natasha Urale Baker, Opera singer Bonaventure, Dance act Pacific Xpressions and local RnB group Cydel & The Groovehouse.
Convenor of judges, NBR editor-in-chief Nevil Gibson says, “This year’s finalists represented a significant contribution to advancing Pacific business in New Zealand and deciding who should walk away with the overall awards was not an easy decision”.
“The quality of some of these enterprises and executives was superb. But we would like to see more examples of enterprise from the private sector like the Laughing Samoans, the winners of the enterprise award, who show how you can have fun and make money at the same time.”
Congratulations to all finalists and winners of The 2007 MIT Pacific Business Awards.
The MIT Pacific Business Awards was proudly sponsored by Manukau Institute of Technology, Pacific Blue, Pacific Media Network, Pacific Island Trade & Investment Commission, Pacific Cooperation Foundation, Accident Compensation Corporation. 