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Working with Iwi/Māori partners, our focus is on improving education and employment outcomes for Māori to help address the earnings gap between Māori and non-Māori.
Amotai Social Procurement
The Amotai Social Procurement event was held in March 2023 and brought Māori and Pasifika businesses in the Bay of Plenty together to connect with government sector contract opportunities and business support. Sponsored by Priority One, the event attracted 110 ‘supplier’ businesses, ranging from owner-operators to medium-sized businesses, while providing an opportunity for whakawhanaungatanga (the process of building relationships), and kotahitanga (unity), and was also attended by key ‘buyers’. The event provided an excellent platform for exploring innovative ways of collaborating to achieve greater social impact and facilitated a shift away from traditional and outdated procurement methods. Instead, fostering a deeper understanding of the meaningful contributions social procurement can have on the local business community of Tauranga Moana.
Māori and Pasifika Aviation Career Expo
A Māori and Pasifika Aviation Career Expo was co-hosted by Pacific Growth and Priority One in March 2023. The event connected more than 200 Māori and Pasifika high school students from throughout the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region with aviation industry professionals and businesses, providing hands-on experiences such as drone operation and rescue drills with Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
Mana Wāhine Day
Mana Wāhine Day was the first of its kind for the region, bringing together 236 young wāhine from secondary schools across Tauranga Moana for career inspiration from influential wāhine Māori. Priority One collaborated with Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (an initiative within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) and the Ministry of Education, to host an event at Tauranga Girls’ College. The event aimed to empower rangatahi Māori to pursue their aspirations by embracing their inner strength and resilience.
Toi Kai Rawa
Priority One’s strategic partnership with Toi Kai Rawa (the Bay of Plenty’s regional Māori economic development agency), supported them to deliver STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) activities into Western Bay of Plenty primary schools, as well as enabling the growth of their Toi Ki Tua Māori Internship Programme within local primary industries.