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PLANTING
THE SEEDS OF BUSINESS IN PACIFIC STUDENTS |
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By Ruci Farrell
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The seeds of
doing sound business are being scattered all over schools around South
Auckland and an unprecedented level of interest is sprouting among a
hardy bunch of Pacific students.
Coconut Go-Go Nuts fresh coconut juice in a bottle, a plug in printer
for mobile phone photos, and an alcohol-free teen nightclub, are just a
few enterprising schemes put forward in the first Plantation Business
Challenge in Manukau.
But it was the Pacific broadsheet newspaper Nesian Nius, the brainchild
of four Year 13 students from Aorere College, Papatoetoe that scooped
the big one.
Mangere College’s ready made Pasifika flavoured chicken stuffing Stuff
D was second and Edgewater College student Tupea Sifa took home $2000
for being the top all round student.
The Plantation Business Challenge 2005 was initiated and put together
by the Pacific Business Trust, Auckland University of Technology and
Manukau Institute of Technology.
Eight schools took part in the challenge which offered $28,000 worth of
schorlaships to be taken up at the Auckland University of Technology or
the Manukau Institute of Technology.
The challenge aims to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of Pasifika
students in South Auckland by enabling them to develop business ideas.
Lucy Wymer who teaches business and commerce at Aorere College is
thrilled that her students were among the winners in the Plantation
Business Challenge.
“They worked hard all week for their presentation at Manukau City
Council. Their company Hella Fyne is also compiling a teen magazine to
sell at the school this term,” Ms Wymer said.
Nesian Nius was their concept for the Plantation Business Challenge but
their teen magazine should be ready for the market some time this term.
“At the start of the term the students were divided into groups of
about five to eight. They were asked to come up with a business idea
and formulate a business plan after doing their market research,” Ms
Wymer said. |
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The Plantation Business Challenge 2005 sponsored by Pacific
Business Trust, AUT and MIT: entry by Jacinta Tufuga, Hope
Autupuna and Amanda Tago.
(Photo: Ruci Farrell)
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The Plantation Business Challenge 2005 sponsored by Pacific
Business Trust, AUT and MIT: entry by Fuarosa Muka and Malama
Masoe.
(Photo: Ruci Farrell)
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The Plantation Business Challenge 2005 sponsored by Pacific
Business Trust, AUT and MIT: entry by Avneel Deo and Maxine
Conroy.
(Photo: Ruci Farrell) |
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“They had to decide what their product would be, produce it and sell
it themselves and hopefully at the end of the year they will have
some profit they can take home with them.”
The four that make up the Hella Fyne company are Simone Pakieto,
Leute Sagaga, Phoebe Bishop and Vilisi Rokoqica.
Hella Fyne’s market research took them to the Pacific Business Trust
where they met up with Frank Koloi who runs Ethnic Communications, a
successful advertising, promotions and marketing agency that targets
Pacific Islanders.
They also met up with Innes Logan, publisher of the Spasifik
Magazine, a popular bi monthly magazine that targets a Pan Pacific
circulation and now enjoys a global readership.
They interviewed friends and students at school to find out what
kind of “stuff” they wanted to read in a teen magazine. Ms Wymer
said they come up with ideas like horoscopes, ideas on what to wear
for the school prom, gossip and photographs.
“We’ve actually had five companies at Aorere College this year. One
company set themselves up to provide school accessories to go with
school uniforms and they produce scarves and key chains with the
school logo and name.
The second group has put together a photography business where they
take photographs of students and their friends and then produce card
like photos that are laminated and students can carry in their
wallets.
The third group put together a testimonial booklet for the current
Year 13 so that will be a nice keepsake for those students when they
leave school.
Another group has put together five different t-shirts with teenage
logos and sayings.
Pasifika business leaders and AUT and MIT lecturers coached the
students throughout the week-long competition for the Plantation
Business Challenge, advising on marketing, research, finance, HR and
contingency planning.
Manukau City Council was instrumental in the success of the
programme which was initially launched at the Pacific Business Trust
in September.
The Young Enterprise Scheme, generally known as YES, is run by the
Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme and coordinated throughout
schools all around the country by the Wellington based Enterprise NZ
Trust.
Now the seeds have been planted in south Auckland schools the best
we can do is wait for these budding business entreprenuers to kick
in and open up shop in south Auckland.
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Copyright Event Polynesia Ltd.
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