Walking the Talk
23 October 2020
A new name and digital platform has marked the dawning of a new day at Amotai, but it also made way for another opportunity to lead by example and use supplier diversity in our own business practice.
For almost two years we’ve had the privilege of supporting buyers in their journey towards supplier diversity and in turn, growing Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurship, supporting these businesses into supply chains.
When the decision was made to rebrand, our team saw an opportunity to do what we had been asking buyers to do; use Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses in our own supply chain.
Two of the businesses Amotai worked with on the rebrand were RUN, a design and advertising agency and QIANE+co who are looking after storytelling, visual content and creative communications.
For RUN founders Laura Cibilich and Raymond McKay (Waikato, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu), the opportunity to work on the rebrand was big, and one that presented itself only a day after they registered with us.
“We won the rebrand work in a pitch,” says Laura. “Which was nice to see that we stack up against other agencies, we weren’t just chosen because we are Māori-owned.”
Raymond says it’s been a big opportunity for RUN, especially to do a piece of work for such a well-known brand amongst Māori and Pasifika businesses, and one that aligns with their own values.
“It was a collaboration,” he says. “We’re real, family-oriented sort of people and we just let the work speak for itself. We got on really well with the team, it just felt right.”
Anna-Jane Edwards of Amotai mirrors their sentiment.
“We started having conversations with RUN during the COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown. We’ve got some incredible comms and marketing businesses on the register and RUN won the work with a great pitch, paired with their creative energy, excellent work portfolio and humble, family-oriented personalities - they had two kids under 10 running around in the background.”
“They’re growing opportunities for young up and coming designers in their industry and recently brought on a Pasifika woman as an intern, who has now become a full-time member of their staff. That is a big step for a small business.”
Anna-Jane says engaging with these businesses has helped to inform how Amotai support buyers. It has also been important to show supplier diversity is not at the expense of quality, in fact, it's the opposite.
“For us, using Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses in our own supply chains is not only walking our talk, but also about demonstrating how it can be done and why it’s important. There’s a stigma that’s attached to our business community that the work you’re going to get from a Māori or Pasifika-owned business is going to be sub-par, which is completely untrue.
“These businesses have delivered exceptional work. By undergoing this practice ourselves we can hand on heart talk about what it takes to make supplier diversity a priority in business practice and share with our buyers first hand how it makes a difference.”
For Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua ki Te Ahiwaru me Te Akitai, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Cook Islands) of QIANE+co, the opportunity of working with Amotai has also given way for new growth.
A creative communications specialist, she has worked with Amotai throughout 2020, growing the social media platforms, developing communications collateral, building the content library and delivering written and visual storytelling.
Qiane says working with Amotai this year has enabled her to expand from a sole trader enterprise to a limited liability company - a transition that doesn’t just benefit her business.
“Winning work with Amotai has enabled me to step up and out of the day-to-day production, giving me more oversight to grow. This contract has been the catalyst to completely change my business model and build a strong team of freelance creatives, particularly Indigenous wāhine, giving them a flexible working environment to fit around their whānau life.
“Working with Amotai has allowed me to not only redefine my offering with a larger team, but now also extend my portfolio of work to win more, in future. This contract has helped me to explore opportunities I always wanted to do, but didn’t have the option to before.”
Working with Amotai supplier members will continue as needs arise and Anna-Jane says the example set by the team is having influence right across the Auckland Council family.
Supporting supplier members in-house was seeded when Amotai connected Social Labour Supply with Auckland Council a few years ago.
A multi-disciplinary business with a vision to empower Māori and Pasifika through sustainable employment, Social Labour Supply operates with a people-centric approach.
“We had a gap in the employment work with The Southern Initiative that needed a coaching and brokering agency like Social Labour Supply,” shares Anna-Jane. “Initially, there was a small contract available and they absolutely exceeded our expectations. The partnership has continued and the relationship, and work, has grown.”
Social Labour Supply’s Founder Courtenay Hurt-Suwan (Ngāi Te Rangi) says the opportunities that have arisen from their registration with Amotai are priceless.
“They’re getting us a seat at the table,” she says. “The opportunities also allow us to bring our way of doing things to the table, which is hopefully going to benefit a lot of Māori and Pasifika people.”
Social Labour Supply continues to work with Auckland Council and the success of the partnership has been a key part of demonstrating why supplier diversity, and spending with Māori and Pasifika businesses, is important.
That demonstration has in turn, helped influence council targets.
“In July 2020 Auckland Council set a target spend of 5% with Amotai businesses and social enterprises,” shares Anna-Jane. “This will grow to a 15% target in 2022.”
She adds: “When we support Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses we are supporting entrepreneurship, growth, social and environmental outcomes and we are supporting more Māori and Pasifika people into work, because these are the types of values, qualities and priorities our supplier members have. Our supplier members give back to their communities and in turn, grow social and economic wealth. The success of the businesses we have worked with are a great example of what can be achieved through supplier diversity and why it is so important.”
