(Picture caption: Pacific businesses feature at the YES Tāmaki Makaurau Regional Awards.)
In the four decades it has been up and running, this year has attracted the largest number of Pacific students taking part in the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) yet.
It has been a bumper year for the YES Pacific businesses, supported by Pasifika Kaiarahi ako/Teaching Mentor Sian McMillan, who is funded by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
The Young Enterprise initiative has supported approximately 5000 students a year nationwide.
This year, 482 Pacific students from around Aotearoa New Zealand have taken part in the hugely beneficial initiative - an increase from the 457 students last year.
To take part in YES, student groups or businesses must complete four challenges, Validation, The Pitch, Sales and Promotion and the fourth challenge of presenting an Annual Review.
Regional Awards have been staged around the country recently, with Pacific businesses making a name for themselves.
All five Auckland regions celebrated together with approximately 900 people present at the event delivered by Auckland Business Chamber and the Young Enterprise team.
“This year, we saw the largest number of Pasifika teams reach the top six in each region than we have ever had before,” Sian says.
Meanwhile, Seki Jams from De La Salle College will travel to the National YES Awards in December, as the young entrepreneurs are due to receive a National Excellence Award.
“It has been a very tough competition this year, and all the teams that received an award or made it to the pitch finals did an outstanding job,” Sian says.
“I am very proud of the innovation, enthusiasm and business savviness our Pacific teams have shown this year, it is getting more and more competitive – Pacific business is booming.”
Pacific teams awarded Regional Excellence Awards 2023
Visit the YES website for more information.