When Te Puni Kōkiri Māori Business Facilitation Services Commercial Development Manager Jamie Te Hiwi first met Jeff Sinnott, winemaker and co-owner of Ostler Vineyards he asked Jeff, “what do you need to help your business along?”

As he spoke to those who attended the Te Puni Kōkiri and Kea New Zealand Māori Business Event hosted by AUT University late March, Jeff recalled: “I told Jamie, we’ve got a great product, but nobody knows about us.”

Jeff already knew the target market for his high-end specialty product: the Bay area of San Francisco and Greenwich Village in New York. Jamie introduced Jeff to Stephen Dee at Kea New Zealand who in turn connected Jeff to some well appointed New Zealanders in those areas.

“The results are already tangible,” says Jeff. “The value of face to face personal relationships is vital when communicating the quality of wine and is essential for spreading the word.”

“Being featured in specialised wine magazines is important but having a sommelier in a top restaurant in Greenwich Village - who’s making a direct recommendation to a customer - is invaluable. That’s what Kea has done for us.”

Richard Manning, Director and General Manager of Pacific Canneries, specialists in the thermal processing of abalone or pāua, gave a presentation about his businesses. “Having access to people who make purchasing decisions has real value to us,” says Richard.

This message resounded with those attending the event, many of who are entrepreneurs now excited about the opportunities presented by Kea New Zealand.