Auckland Council network connects Pasifika businesses to major contracts

Ana Ma'ileli Savio uses her catering business, Gia's Grab and Go, to provide allergy-friendly food with Pacific flavors in Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand.

Savio started the company in 2019 to serve her daughter, who has severe food allergies. Her experience on the Allergy New Zealand board taught her that Māori and Pasifika people experience some of the highest rates of food allergies. She now uses her business to provide a model for other Pasifika entrepreneurs.

Auckland Council created a supplier diversity network called Amotai in 2018 to help Māori and Pasifika businesses access large contracts. While Tāmaki Makaurau hosts about half of the country's Pasifika-owned businesses, the council currently sources roughly five percent of its supplies from these groups. The council aims to increase that figure to 10 percent by 2034. Amotai connects thousands of Māori and Pasifika businesses with more than 170 buyer organizations to bridge this gap.

The network awarded more than $400 million in contracts to Māori and Pasifika businesses in 2025. Anna-Jane Edwards, one of the founders of Amotai, says the initiative helps grow businesses and create jobs to improve the health and wellbeing of these communities. Savio says the platform allows Pacific business owners to bring their culture into spaces where they were previously underrepresented. She believes these opportunities help create a smoother path for future generations.