Two Palagi in a Pisinisi Pod

Summary In this episode, Glen and Dave discuss regional business insights, cultural highlights, and recent developments in the Pacific, including airline innovations and culinary achievements. The main feature is a Talanoa with Matthew Finlay the CEO of Solomon Airlines and how he sees his first 130 days in the role along with his views for the future. Keywords Pacific business, airline industry,...

Keywords Creative Arts, New Zealand, Pacific, Economic Impact, Export, Sustainability, Makerita Urale, Creative New Zealand, Arts Strategy, Intellectual Property Takeaways Creative arts contribute over 4.3% to New Zealand's GDP. Pacific creative enterprises play a vital role in promoting New Zealand internationally. Makerita Urale emphasizes the importance of connecting Pacific arts with global au...

Summary In this episode, Glen and Dave explore regional business trends, economic relationships, and inspiring rescue stories from the Pacific. The key feature is an engaging Talanoa with Paul Clark, Managing Director of The Distillery Co. Fiji. With deep personal and family connections to Fiji Paul and his brother have created world class products under brands like Blue Turtle Gin and VulaViti Vo...

Summary In this episode, Glen and Dave explore disaster management and business continuity planning through a talanoa with Vasiti Soko who was the first female director of Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office. Vasiti led the organisation through COVID 19 as well as through a number of natural emergencies. The talanoa comes off the back of Dave working with Vasiti on facilitation of a webinar...

Content  type Interview Summary Dave is safely back in Rarotonga but while he was in Fiji he had a Talanoa with Craig Smith from Fiji's Counterpoint Group. Craig shares insights on digital innovation in Fiji's tourism sector, regional tech development, and the future of AI and digital tools in the Pacific. Discover how local businesses are transforming and the opportunities for growth and collabor...

Summary With Dave freshly back from attending the Pacific Business Opportunities Seminar (PBOS) in Nadi, Glen and Dave discuss the key themes from PBOS, focusing on localization, community development, and regional collaboration. While he was at the conference Dave had a couple of Talanoa and highlights how infrastructure procurement is changing with local empowerment. This episode features Talano...

Summary In this engaging interview, the team from Greenhouse Studio in Suva, Fiji, share their journey, creative process, and insights into the Pacific's vibrant creative economy. Discover how they craft meaningful work that inspires change and celebrates Pacific culture. They have also designed a new look for Two Palagi in a Pisinisi Pod which Dave and Glen are pleased to launch! Keywords Greenho...

Summary This episode features Glen and Dave discussing infrastructure development in the Pacific, focusing on recent initiatives, challenges, and upcoming conferences with Jenny Chu from the Asian Development Bank. They explore the evolving procurement culture in the region, procurement policies, and opportunities. Discover how ADB supports local businesses, enhances procurement processes, and fos...

Summary Along with their normal discussion about business activity in the Pacific this week Dave talks about the time he spent on Atiu Island. The main feature in this episode is that, while Dave was at Atiu, Glen sat down with Sarah Leo who leads Auckland Council’s engagement with Auckland’s Pacific economy. Sarah shares her journey, the importance of Pacific businesses in Auckland's economy, and...

Summary Join Glen and Dave as they explore the vibrant Pacific art scene, recent cultural events, and regional developments in infrastructure, energy, and connectivity. This episode highlights the power of storytelling through film, art, and community engagement, emphasizing resilience and innovation in the Pacific region. Keywords Pacific art, regional development, Pacific connectivity, Pacific r...

 S ummary In this episode Two Palagi have an nsightful interview, Jennifer Boggiss shares the inspiring story of Heilala Vanilla, a premium vanilla brand originating from Tonga that has gained international recognition. Discover how the business combines community engagement, authentic storytelling, and innovative branding to disrupt the vanilla industry and promote Pacific excellence.  K eywords...

While the edited version of the talanoa with Sristhi Narayan, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Fiji, is included in the regular weekly Podcast Two Palagi in a Pisinisi Pod felt that the extended interview should also be published this week. So here is the full interview with Sristhi.

Summary In this episode, Glen and David interview Sristhi Narayan, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Fiji, to explore insights into Fiji's tourism industry, and lessons learned from her tenure. They also discuss recent developments in Pacific sports and digital connectivity.   Keywords Tourism Fiji, marketing strategies, Pacific sports, digital connectivity, Fiji tourism, Pacific region, sports f...

Summary With Dave returning after an Easter break in French Polynesia and Glen preparing for cyclone Vaianu, Two Palagi talanoa with Frank Yourn, a seasoned expert in Pacific regional business and diplomacy. Frank is Executive Director of the Australian Pacific business councils. Discover insights on Pacific trade, infrastructure, and opportunities for Australian and New Zealand businesses to thri...

Summary In this episode, Dave and Glen acknowledge the passing of Ratu Epeli. Glen visits the Pasifika festival on Waiheke Island and we speak about the on-going impact of fuel supply disruption. On a positive note we cover discussion points from the South Pacific Tourism Exchange and the increasing digital connectivity across the Pacific. For Easter Dave is travelling to Tahiti so Two Palagi in a...

Glen and Dave talanoa with Rachel Afeaki who, among many other things, chairs the New Zealand Tonga Business Council. Rachel recently co-led New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's mission to Samoa and Tonga. We find out what happened on the mission and whether 'Eti Fixed the Glitch'. With ongoing hostilities in the middle east upsetting world fuel supplies we also talk about how that is im...

The New Zealand Prime Minister is about to lead a delegation to Samoa and Tonga so Dave and Glen preview that visit. Talk about what these types of missions entail, how delegates can maximise the value of being on the mission and speculate about which businesses might be along for the ride. They also review the impact of the Iran conflict, talk about ADB's loan for improving healthcare in Fiji and...

Dave and Glen talanoa with Jesse Koorey-Slow who is currently running the Niue Development Bank and find out about life on Niue and that the NDB is doing some very interesting work to digitize their processes.

Dave talks with Chris Saili and Janina Wetzel about the journey of building a business in the Pacific, the challenges and opportunities in the region, the role of partnerships and growth, the ADB Frontier Seed Program, the Moana Data Services business model, data accessibility and infrastructure in the Pacific, and advice for doing business in the region. Key takeaways include the importance of co...

With the president of Asia Development Bank traveling throughout the Pacific this week Dave and Glen take the opportunity to talk about the work of the ADB. Looking at some of this week's announcements including the opening of a new ADB office in the Solomon Islands and also discussing broad developments of how the ADB finds projects across the Pacific region. How should business engage?

In this engaging conversation, Sir Ewan Smith shares his journey in the aviation industry, detailing the challenges and innovations he faced while establishing and running an airline in the Cook Islands. He discusses the critical role of air access in supporting tourism, the impact of COVID-19 on his business, and the importance of community and local talent in sustaining operations. Ewan also ref...

Glen and Dave discuss various themes surrounding Pacific business, including community celebrations for Waitangi Day, the impact of the late Sanjesh Prasad on the Vision Group, tourism opportunities in Fiji and Palau, updates on the banking sector, infrastructure developments, mining prospects in Bougainville, and the growth of the kava industry. Takeaways Waitangi Day celebrations foster communit...

In this episode Dave and Glen talk Pacific tourism, through their talanoa with Jenny Seeto who chaired the recent Fiji Tourism Summit. They also talk about Jenny's career and about the key ingredients of Fiji's tourism success: collaboration and connectivity in the tourism industry, outcomes and next steps for Fiji's tourism industry, future initiatives and trends in Fiji's tourism industry, and b...

In this episode, Glen and Dave discuss the movement of people across the Pacific, focusing on tourism trends in Fiji and the Cook Islands, migration patterns in Vanuatu, and the implications of the US visa bond. They also touch on the redevelopment of Air Vanuatu and the upcoming New Zealand election. Takeaways The Pacific business landscape is vibrant and evolving. Recent weather events have impa...

In this episode of Two Palagi in a Pisinisi Pod, hosts Glen and David delve into the business of Pacific sports, highlighting significant events and developments across the region. They discuss recent experiences at the ASB Auckland Open tennis tournament and the inaugural Pickleball Open in Rarotonga, showcasing the growing interest in diverse sports. The conversation shifts to the Coral Coast Se...