BNZ speakers feature at Takitimu business conference

PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

BNZ speakers feature at Takitimu business conference

BNZ will further look to consolidate its relationship with Maori when three of its senior staff present at the Takitimu Indigenous Peoples’ Business Conference in Hawke’s Bay, which began yesterday.

The conference includes business leaders from Pacific nations and Maori iwi affiliated to the ancestral Takitimu waka, which brought people to Aotearoa over 500 years ago.

BNZ’s CEO Andrew Thorburn, its Head of Primary and Diversified, Institutional Banking Curtis Mercer and its Head of Research Stephen Toplis will all speak at the conference, which is being held at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings.

BNZ’s Head of Maori Business Pierre Tohe will also attend the conference.

Mr Mercer will outline opportunities for Iwi in the corporate primary sector, Mr Toplis will present research which compares emerging and developed market economies, and New Zealand’s exposure to them as well as a valuable insights on the current global economic environment.

Mr Thorburn will be providing the keynote speech at the conference’s black tie ball on Wednesday night.

BNZ said it wanted to be part of the Takitimu conference to open up another opportunity to engage with an audience which was important to the bank.

BNZ External Relations Manager Erica Lloyd says, “We hope this audience will gain valuable market insights from our speakers.

“BNZ is already involved with a number of initiatives to promote excellence in Maori business, including the Ahuwhenua Trophy and Maori agribusiness scholarships at Massey University.

“The conference provides a chance to listen to our customers, and adds to our ongoing commitment to a wider understanding of what our customers want and need from their bank.”

BNZ is keen to support Maori business excellence as it enters a time of growth, many iwi groups are working towards finalisation of their Treaty of Waitangi settlements and looking at investment and business opportunities.

BNZ recently appointed Pierre Tohe as its head of Maori Business and he brings a mixture of banking and Maori business knowledge to the table.

Mr Tohe believes the appointment of a Head of Maori Business represents the formalisation of an ingrained culture of support for Maori business at BNZ.

Those presenting iwi case studies at the three-day business conference include Ngati Kahu CEO Anahera Herbert Graves, Ngati Ranginui trustee Graham Cameron, Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon and Tukoroirangi Morgan from Tainui.

Tomorrow there will be presentations from international business representatives, including China’s Alex Chu, who has over 35 years experience in the trading, distribution and logistics businesses in Hong Kong, China and other Asian cities. He is the Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of Dah Chong Hong Holdings Limited (DCHH).

There will be two North American First Nations presenters, including Josh Littlelight, from Sarcee Enconomic Development and Cathy Towtongie from the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Xero Accounting CEO Rod Drury will also present of the Pacific Fibre project.

There will also be a section on Maori land development, another of Pacific tourism business opportunities, exporting as well as business development generated by the new Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Ends.

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