Te Arawa Fisheries was honoured to attend the MPI Good Employer Awards ceremony at the Parliament Grand Hall in Wellington recently, having been named a finalist for the Māori Agri Business Award.

With about 65,000 agricultural businesses in New Zealand, we were thrilled to be recognised for our workplace culture and mahi.

We witnessed the dedication of the business leaders present who described their employees not as ‘staff’ but as ‘their people’. This was a heartwarming display of aroha and reinforces that treating people with manaakitanga, aroha and respect benefits any type of business.

Representing Te Arawa Fisheries, myself (Levi Simon), Trustee Dr Ken Kennedy and Te Arawa Mahi Operations Assistant Ngapera Nicholls had the opportunity to network with some of the country’s prominent leaders and government ministers.

We were particularly lucky to spend some time with Minister Meka Whaitiri, who has shown interest in Te Arawa Fisheries and everything we aspire to, and Nick Pyke, Director of AgInnovate NZ.

We also connected with the winners of the Māori Agri Business Award, Tane Mahuta LTD, who acknowledged Te Arawa Fisheries for our help when they were starting out. As we continue to nurture this relationship there will be more opportunities to collaborate in the future.

– Written by Business, Systems and Iwi Development Officer Levi Simon