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THRIVE PASIFIKA PUTS BUSINESS SUCCESS ON A PEDESTAL |
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By Ruci Farrel |
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A crop of exceptional
Pacific Islanders who have leap frogged their way to prominence in the
legal sector, the creative arts, sports, music and business were the
draw card to Thrive Pasifika, a one-day business extravaganza in
Auckland.
Organized by the Pacific Business Trust in association with the
Employers and Manufacturers Association, Thrive Pasifika gave
Aucklanders a glimpse at how Pacific Islanders have overcome
insurmountable odds to be successful.
Among the celebrated artists were actor and theatre director Nathaniel
Lees of Lord of the Rings and Matrix Reloaded fame, Black Grace
artistic director / dancer and choreographer Neil Ieremia and Dawn
Raid’s Danny Leaosavaii from whose studios come R&B maestros Adeaze and
hip hop giants Mareko, Savage and Deceptikonz.
Isaac Tuhenga who was last year’s Pacific Business of the Year told of
his rise to success in the building industry with his company New Lynn
Building Centre and Esther Tofilau spoke of the trials and tribulations
of the body building industry.
Murray Thom left school at 15 with no qualifications but had the gift
of sniffing the dollars in the industry he was passionate about -
music. Named as one of the top 10 entrepreneurs of the decade, Thom’s
Together 10 CD collection made it to Oprar Winfreyıs Favourite Thing Of
the Year.
From the sporting arena, Linda Vagana gave an inspiring account of her
career as a Silver Fern netballer while former All Black loose forward
Pat Lam took the audience through his time in the NPC, rugby career in the UK, captaining Manu Samoa and
coaching Auckland for the NPC.
But Christchurch mortgage broker Mike Pero’s rag to riches tale is priceless.
His jingle precedes him as he fronts the ads for the mortgage company Mike Pero
that he recently sold for $13.5 million.
Born 44 years ago in a place he refers to as the ‘Otara of Christchurch’, Aranui,
the Cook Island millionaire punched holes in cardboard boxes for a job after
convincing his parents he had to leave school at 16 after gaining five subjects
in School C.
Whiling away his time in the classroom sketching motorbikes led him to a four
year apprenticeship in the industry. Pero fixed |
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Mike Pero at ‘Thrive Pasefika’, founder of the Mike Pero
Mortgages Empire, pilot and part owner of Origin Pacific. |
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Actor and theatre director Nathaniel Lees of Lord of the Rings
and Matrix Reloaded fame at ‘Thive Pasefika’. |
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Participants and guests at ‘Thrive Pasefika’ hosted by the
pacific Business Trust. |
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bikes by day raced by night
culminating in six championship titles in Australasia. He packed in his
motorcycling career at 24 and decided to move on to insurance.
“It’s a great industry for learning about human nature, salesmanship and
rejection. I learned about how to set goals and how to motivate myself. I lifted
myself to a new level and I knew I could achieve things and winning as others
have in sport, art or whatever you happened to be in,” Pero says.
“You can cross credit. I think I was in a state in my life that I realized that
if I was winning in thought then maybe I could take it across to my business.”
He completed his commercial pilot’s license and, at 29, flew with Mt Cook
Airlines which services the domestic routes. Widespread industrial action in the
80s saw him bale out and so began the Mike Pero Mortgages Empire.
It is NZ’s largest with more than 30 franchisees from Whangarei to Dunedin
processing 600 loans every month. Pero retains some shares and directorship in
Mike Pero Mortgages and still fronts the promotions.
But the petrol head in Mike Pero is staunch.
“I love flying and I flew on Origin Pacific and I thought, I’ve got to have this
so I bought a share (25 per cent) in the airline.”
“As you know the airline has been through what’s called the creditors
compromise, its been in financial difficulty and I figured I just couldn’t stand
back and watch our only competitor to Air New Zealand close down so I put some
money in along with some other people from Wellington and we’re trying to turn
the airline around into a profit.
Pero also has interests in a technology company that builds flight simulators
and is presently talking with a training division of Boeing Aircraft in Seattle
to build simulators for pilots and trainers.
“Our goal is to export all around the world Boeing 737 simulators for pilot
training.”
While in Auckland Pero presented banks in NZ with a mortgage software package
which gets all banks to understand one simple language when processing loans
like Microsoft Word.
“We’ve all agreed for a long time all banks speak different languages when it
comes to processing loans. No one’s ever tried it before in NZ so it’ll be a
real test.”
Mike Pero also indulges in fast cars and V8 Commodores an interest he nurtures
with his Mike Pero Racing company.
More than Mortgages, the book, has just released. It relates the story behind
the brand.
Mike Pero’s quick tips for intending business people, Invest in technology,
invest in yourself, invest in presentation. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed
about us Pacific people is we tend to be humble and shy and don’t like the
limelight.
“Get in front of the cameras; get in front of the people through the media.
Don’t be shy. We tend to talk ourselves down and think I don’t want to get up
there and do it, well you can!
“I think we underrate ourselves and that’s when you need to come out of your
shell and get out in front of your audience and your customers.”
Presentation and attention to details. When I am back in Raro and I look at the
things Pacific Islanders do, the detail whether its carving, we’re so skilled in
those areas.
“We can apply that same focus and energy into business we know we can go a lot
further. You can achieve what you want.”
New Zealand's Minister for Economic Development Jim Anderton says by the year
2040 there will be 600,000 Maori and Pacific Islanders in New Zealand and they
will make up 40 per cent of the total work force.
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Copyright Event Polynesia Ltd.
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