Community leaders, stakeholders and founders, mostly based
in Wellington, with His Excellency Rashed Matar Alqemzi, UAE
Ambassador to New Zealand
(Photo/Supplied)
WELLINGTON,
NEW ZEALAND. Two Pacific women brought the Pacific
business community together with the Ambassador of the
United Arab Emirates to New Zealand. Inailau Pacific
Business Women’s Network and The Pacific Business Hub
co-hosted Connecting the Pacific & the UAE: Doing
Business in Dubai at Te Iho, Pipitea, Wellington, on
Wednesday 21 October 2026.
His Excellency Rashed Matar
Alqemzi attended as Special Guest and Keynote Speaker. It
was the first occasion on which the Ambassador addressed the
Pacific community in New Zealand directly. The evening was
built on introductions, relationships and the seeds of
future business in Dubai.
A Pacific
welcome
His Excellency was welcomed into Te Iho with
a traditional Pacific welcome, a Cook Islands Turou, led by
Ta’i Richards, CEO of the Cook Islands Development Agency
(CIDANZ). The procession also included His Excellency
Afamasaga Fa’amatalaupu Toleafoa, High Commissioner for
Samoa; Samuela Kanakatakata, Second Secretary of the Fiji
High Commission; Hon. Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban DNZM QSO,
Patron of the Wellington Pasifika Business Network; Ralph
Hilbron, Chair of the Wellington Pasifika Business Network;
and Ropeta Mene-Tulia, Deputy Secretary, Partnerships,
Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
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The opening prayer was
delivered in the Rotuman language by Fesaitu Solomone, CEO
of the Centre for Pacific Languages. Ms Mene-Tulia led the
opening remarks on behalf of the Ministry for Pacific
Peoples and the Pacific community. Salā Laura Keil-Hall,
Founder and CEO of The Pacific Business Hub, served as MC
and formally welcomed and acknowledged His Excellency on
behalf of the Pacific community.
The UAE deepens its
Pacific engagement
In his keynote, Ambassador Alqemzi
highlighted the NZ-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA), in force since 28 August 2025. It includes
a dedicated Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade
Cooperation chapter.
“The UAE, particularly Dubai,
offers New Zealand businesses, including Pacific and Māori
enterprises, a gateway to global markets,” said H.E.
Alqemzi.
He also encouraged businesses to explore
technology, renewable energy, education and healthcare, and
spoke of the values the UAE and the Pacific hold in
common.
“In the UAE, hospitality is more than a
tradition. It reflects who we are and what we value. Family,
respect for our elders, generosity, and strong community
ties are at the heart of our society. These are values we
proudly share with the peoples of the Pacific,” he said.
“Our countries may be separated by distance, but we are
connected by shared values, common ambitions, and a bright
vision for the future.”
He noted that the UAE has
joined the Pacific Islands Forum as a Strategic
Partner.
“The UAE looks forward to further enhancing
cooperation with Pacific countries in the
future.”
A Pacific entrepreneur’s
journey
Originally from Samoa, Afamasaga Jackie
Curry, Pacific business strategist, consultant and founder
of Inailau Pacific Business Women’s Network, traced her
path from a first visit to Dubai in December 2023 to two
years of building business relationships across the
UAE.
“Nine out of ten people I meet in Dubai have
never met a Samoan, or any Pacific person, before,” said
Ms Curry. “New Zealand products and services carry a high
perceived value in the UAE, and people are fascinated by our
Pacific and Māori cultures. Being a Pacific woman and from
New Zealand in Dubai is a superpower.”
She
identified the sectors with the greatest potential for
Pacific, Māori and Kiwi enterprise: digital and technology,
health and wellness, premium packaged food, professional
services (particularly construction and engineering
consultancy), high-end Pacific fashion, creative and
performing arts, content creators, hospitality
collaborations for Pacific chefs, and real estate and
investment.
“Walk through the supermarkets in Dubai,
and apart from our meat, our produce and Whittaker’s
chocolate, you will not find many New Zealand products on
the shelves. There is real space for authentically Kiwi,
Māori and Pasifika premium products in this
market.”
“Networking is not a nice extra. It is
the work. Relationships come before transactions. Going
global does not mean leaving our culture behind. Family,
service, respect, hospitality. These are not things we hide
in international business. They are what we
bring.”
Making the pathway practical
Ms
Keil-Hall said the evening was driven by a simple
purpose.
“Our Pacific businesses have the talent,
ambition, products and services to compete internationally.
But entering new markets isn’t just about having something
to offer. It’s about having access to the right
information, people and relationships. We wanted to bring
those conversations directly to our business community, so
they can begin exploring opportunities, asking questions and
building relationships for themselves. Trade agreements can
open doors, but we also need to make sure Pacific businesses
have practical pathways and support to walk through
them.”
Attendee James Pratt reflected afterwards on
LinkedIn: “Opportunity often starts long before a
transaction. It starts with a relationship.”
Moana
International Consultancy
Ms Curry announced Moana
International Consultancy, which provides business
facilitation, market entry support and immersion trips for
Pacific, Māori and Kiwi businesses and investors entering
the UAE. Its name draws on Pacific traditional navigation,
the ocean as connector and pathway into new markets for the
people of the Pacific & wider Oceania Region. The first
Dubai Business Immersion Trip of 2027 departs in early
April.
“For two years, I navigated this market on my
own. Now I want to help our businesses fast track their way
into Dubai and UAE,” she said.
The conversation
continues in Auckland in 2027
Inailau Pacific
Business Women’s Network and The Pacific Business Hub will
co-host the next event in the series, Connecting the
Pacific & the UAE: Doing Business in Dubai, in March
2027 in Auckland. H.E. Alqemzi’s participation as keynote
speaker is to be confirmed.
Afamasaga Jackie Curry
will also facilitate Dubai Business Immersion Trips through
Moana International Consultancy from April 2027. The trips
are open to Pacific, Māori and Kiwi entrepreneurs and
investors who wish to explore this
market.
Acknowledgements
The organisers
gratefully acknowledge the Ministry for
Pacific Peoples and its team for their generous support
of this event, as well as corporate sponsors FutureZone and Chas Everitt Dubai, two
valued Dubai/UAE partners. Fakafetai lahi
lele
The organisers acknowledge His Excellency
Ambassador Rashed Alqemzi and the Embassy of the United Arab
Emirates in New Zealand for graciously accepting our
invitation and sharing UAE’s intentions to connect more
with the Pacific community. Shukran
jazeelan.
Special acknowledgement to His
Excellency Afamasaga Fa’amatalaupu Toleafoa, High
Commissioner for Samoa; Samuela Kanakatakata of the Fiji
High Commission; and Hon. Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban for
honouring the evening with their presence. Fa’afetai
tele lava. Vinaka vaka levu.
They also thank the
Wellington Pasifika Business Network and Te Awe Māori
Business Network for their support in the lead-up to the
event. Nga mihi. Thanks also to Ariki Maureen
Tukuroa-Betham for her generous support in coordinating the
traditional Cook Islands Turou welcome and other cultural
aspects of the evening, and to everyone involved in
coordinating and delivering the event to welcome His
Excellency into our Pacific community. Meitaaki
maata.
About the hosts
Inailau
Pacific Business Women’s Network supports
Pacific, Indigenous, ethnic and aligned women in business
across Aotearoa New Zealand through community support,
business education, mentoring and culturally grounded
strategy. Its founder, Afamasaga Jackie
Curry, is a Pacific business strategist, consultant and
educator, originally from Samoa, with more than 20 years’
experience delivering business programmes.
The
Pacific Business Hub (TPBH) is a faith-based,
purpose-driven social enterprise founded in 2019 by Salā Laura
Keil-Hall and Leota Walter Hall. Guided by its
philosophy, “Of Pacific, By Pacific, For Pacific”, TPBH
provides an enabling and uplifting environment for
businesses through co-working and shared office spaces,
business advisory services, networking and opportunities to
connect, collaborate and
grow.