Amotai summit 2024

David, Rebecca and David’s best jean + sneaker combo ventured out of the Hoffice last week where they had the pleasure of attending the Amotai - Supplier Diversity NZ summit in Auckland.

It was a jam-packed event, and here are some of their highlights:

✨ Future entrepreneur panel

We heard from a group of awesome young business owners and their journey to building a thriving business. Dave’s internal engineer beacon was pinging when hearing the inspiring story of Lochlan, the director of Ruru, a Māori-led engineering, surveying and planning company in Auckland.

 Another highlight was hearing from JJ Ripikoi of Aupiki Travel. A very funny and clever guy whose entrepreneurial spirit and love of aviation lead him to create the world’s first Māori owned and operated travel management company.

✨ Supplier panel

A standout was hearing the story of Ida-Jean Murray from North Drill in Whangārei. She started her company from a leaky lean-to in the back yard, and today has a thriving operation of 60 staff. The coolest part of her story is how she teaches and imparts financial literacy to her team, and they each have a personal KPI of achieving home ownership!

Lastly, Dave’s sneans were invited on stage to take part as an expert panellist on supplier innovation. Dave was interviewed by Warner of Height along with some other fantastic Māori and Pasifika businesses. Shout out to Wayne McDade, Sione Faumuina, and Vanessa Hayes for also sharing their awesome experiences.

This was the third year that Hoffcon has attended the summit and it’s a staple event on our calendar.