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The Minister for Māori Development, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta, announced on 28 June the first Māori business collective to have a presence on one of China’s main e-commerce platforms, Tmall Global, which is part of the Alibaba Group.
“The Hui Māori Collective comprises 13 companies which together sell a range of premium products. These include wine, Mānuka honey, dairy (milk powder), fruit bars, and Kawakawa soft drink.”
Their Māori-branded product suite will be hosted on NZ Post’s flagship store on Tmall Global. Chinese customers can order online, NZ Post will then package the order from its airport warehouse and send direct to Chinese consumers in a partnership with China Post.
“It is exciting to see Māori companies combine their products in such an innovative manner for an important export market.
“And in an additional innovation, the Modern Māori Quartet has joined the coalition to support their aim of becoming one of Aotearoa’s global cultural ambassadors. This blending of world-class Māori entertainment together with premium food and beverage products will provide Chinese consumers with a unique shopping experience and help the coalition to stand out on Tmall Global,” Nanaia Mahuta said.
About the Coalition:
The coalition will develop a common umbrella brand and story over the coming months and plans to launch during NZ Week in Shanghai, in early November.
AsureQuality has developed a unique quality assurance framework to independently verify the manufacturing/ supply chains, as well as the authenticity of the collective’s Māori values and how these are applied. Once verified, each member company will be able to use the AsureQuality assurance mark on all their products.
Whether a product can be trusted is a major concern for Chinese consumers, so an independent verification will be a compelling point of difference for the coalition.
NZ Post and AsureQuality are excited to be part of this pilot project and are working together with the coalition in a collaborative partnership to ensure success.
Te Puni Kokiri (TPK) has also approved a grant of $235,000 to assist with the development of the unique quality assurance framework, the independent verification, trademarking, legal fees, branding, and development of tailor-made, branded packaging to protect the product in the postal channels.
Poutama Trust is providing administrative support for the collective and operating as the grant manager for the TPK contract.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has connected these companies to the Alibaba opportunity and assisted them to work together to develop and execute this innovative export strategy.
Hui Māori Collective members
Miraka
Kai Ora Honey
Mana kai Honey
Tai Tokerau Honey
The True Honey Company
Tuku Māori Winemakers Collective
· Steve Bird Wines
· Te Pā wines
· Tiki Wines
· Ostler Wines
· Kurukuru Wines
Taha Beverages
Kono
Modern Māori Quartet
Hui Māori Collective to launch in China
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Te Minita Whanaketanga Māori
Minister for Māori Development
28 June 2018
PĀNUI PĀPĀHO
Jul 30, 2018