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The Wellington Pasifika Business Network started in 2014 with the passion of a small group identifying a significant gap in the market, particularly the lack of visibility of Pasifika businesses in the region. The genuine commitment to bringing together the Pasifika business community was premised on the primary goal to encourage innovation, prosperity, and growth of small business through quality network events and engagement whilst celebrating our successes and challenges in the world of business.
Paul is the Managing Director of Manaaki Management Limited. His company services include full event and venue management in some of Wellingtons exceptional venues including Wharewaka Function Centre, Karaka Café, The Wellington Rowing Club, Pipitea Marae & Function Centre.
Paul has an extraordinarily strong background, having been in business for over 20 years, currently employing up to seventy staff at any one time. With a strong skillset in governance, the boards of which he has chosen to sit on are private sector led, community focused and about better outcomes for Māori, Pacifica rangatahi, in business, entrepreneurship and education, to navigate their ways into these areas.
Current Boards
Luamanuvao sits on the Board as the Patron of the Wellington Pasifika Business Network. As New Zealand’s first Pacific Island woman Member of Parliament and first Pacific Island woman Minister of the Crown, Luamanuvao brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and connections to the Board.
In 1992, Dame Winnie was bestowed the title of Luamanuvao from the village of Vaiala, Vaimauga, Samoa, in recognition of her work. In the 2011 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order for services as a Member of Parliament. She was also appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to education and the Pacific community.
We are blessed to have Luamanuvao as our Patron.
Sandy is an experienced media broadcaster who has led many brands like Newstalk ZB, ZM and The Breeze. Sandy made a shift to technology sales using his relationship and presentation skills to lead in many multinational tech companies like IBM Canon and ASI.
Sandy sees the natural talents that Pasifika people have as keys to different roles in the commercial world.
Sandy is actively promoting Pasifika in Tech
Holona is a Director of Catalyst Pacific Ltd, a learning and development practice specialising in leadership development, executive coaching, team management, cross-cultural team management, coaching and mentoring.
Holona brings to the Board more than 20 years’ experience in public, private and not-for-profit sectors developing cultural intelligence, diversity and inclusion training in teams, effective cross-cultural communication for high performance, and effective Pasifika engagement.
As Managing Partner of SenateSHJ New Zealand, Raphael advises a range of clients on communications and reputation matters, including Beach Energy, Contact Energy, CentrePort, and T&G Global.
Raphael helps his clients to engage with key stakeholders and successfully manage their reputations. Before joining SenateSHJ in 2008, he was head of corporate responsibility at Vodafone NZ and was seconded to Vodafone Group in the UK for two years.
In the early 90s, he worked as a reporter on The Dominion newspaper and as a press secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.
An economist, Natalia is currently Director Strategy, Policy and Design at Toitū Te Whenua, Land Information New Zealand. She understands the various challenges but also highs of being in business, having managed multiple small family businesses in the food industry, and she was on the organising committee for the inaugural Wellington Pasifika Start-Up Weekend.
She has worked as an economist at Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL), and in economic development, policy, strategy, and management roles across Local Government New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
She is a strong Pasifika community advocate, currently serving as Co-Chair, and a Samoan representative, of the Wellington City Council’s Pacific Advisory Group. She was President of the Wellington Central branch of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A Inc. for several years and is an alumni of the regional Young Pacific Leaders program. She is a mentor in the Public Service Pacific Mentoring Programme and sits on the Board of the Government Economics Network. Natalia is also a speaker and facilitator who enjoys bringing people, ideas and solutions together, and also enjoys creative writing having had several stories published in anthologies.
Toli has over 20 years of legal/policy experience in the private and public sectors in Aotearoa and in the UK.
Her professional career has ranged from working as a criminal barrister in Aotearoa to representing the local authority in the Family Courts in the UK.
In the public sector, she served as a senior policy adviser for Te Manatū mō ngā Iwi ō te Moana-nui-ā-Kīwa (Ministry for Pacific Peoples), and as a senior solicitor at Hīkina Whakatutuki (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment).
Toli was recently appointed Deputy Director of the Te Kura Public Justice Sector Programme in the Te Tari Toko i te Tumu Whakawā Office of the Chief Justice.
Her legal experience and desire for Pasifika communities to reach their potential, has led to appointments on various not-for-profit boards that focus on educating and assisting youth and Pasifika communities to aspire and thrive.
As the Inaugural Executive Officer, Frieda is responsible for leading and implementing the WPBN’s strategic plan and its ongoing collaboration with the Wellington Employer’s Chamber of Commerce (WECC), the Te Awe Māori Business Network and other organisations who share an affinity with Pasifika.
As the public face of the WPBN, Frieda manages the public reputation and delivery of strategic priorities to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and better education for Wellington’s Pasifika community. Frieda also has first-hand knowledge of the guiding principles underpinning Pasifika culture, which must be acknowledged in business practices. She has a significant number of connections across the public and private sectors, and surrounding Pasifika countries, having built up a strong and credible presence with the Pasifika community.
Frieda is a first-generation New Zealand-born Samoan/German, with family ties to Apia and Savaii, in Samoa. Frieda brings many years of experience in private sector senior-level management, business, and governance to the position. Since August 2021, Frieda has been part of the executive committee of the Pacifica Inc. Wellington Central branch, an organisation dedicated to providing opportunities for Pacific women to contribute to the cultural, social, economic, and political development in Aotearoa. Frieda is also involved in the Working Group of the National Executive, advising around the impact of the changes to the law affecting incorporated societies. Recently, Frieda was privileged to be invited to Chair the Panel discussion to explore collaboration and shared values of Pasifika and Māori leaders for the Council for International Development Conference 2022.
Frieda brings her visionary leadership, her authentic relationship management style, and her commercial, legal, and operational acumen to her role. At the heart of WPBN’s mahi, we aim to ensure recognition of the value of Pasifika people as decision makers in business.