Auckland Pacific business export and trade
Auckland Council's Economic Development Pacific team has recently commissioned two reports as part of its highly acclaimed 'Project Ikuna' co-funded with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise. The first report 'Quantifying the Pacific Economy' prepared by Nicholson Consulting (28 November 2025), presents a fascinating insight into the Pacific business sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. The second report 'Auckland Pacific Business Export and Trade Research' was prepared by Elika Consulting Group (December 2025/January 2026) and looks at the export readiness of Pacific-led businesses and what can be done to scale the growth of this sector. Interestingly, access to resources advising on intellectual property protection is identified as an area that would help drive growth in the Pacific-owned export sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.
What does the Pacific economy look like in Auckland and New Zealand as a whole?
The first report 'Quantifying the Pacific Economy' investigated the question 'What does the Pacific economy look like in Aotearoa New Zealand and in Tamaki Makarau Auckland specifically?' The report presents a positive outlook that the number of Pacific-owned businesses is growing and this sector is forecast to continue to be a growing proportion of Auckland and New Zealand's economy in the future.
The report's findings identify that in 2023 in:
New Zealand
- There were 5,271 economically significant, private-for-profit, Pacific businesses in New Zealand
- For the 10 years between 2013 and 2023, there has been an increase of 61% in the number of Pacific-owned businesses nationally (although still only an increase from 1.3% to 1.9% of businesses nationally)
- The value of sales by Pacific-owned businesses with employees was around $3.125 billion.
Auckland
- 51% of all economically significant, private-for-profit Pacific businesses are based in Auckland
- Industries with the largest proportion of Pacific-owned businesses are construction (35%), professional, scientific and technical services (15%) and administration and support services (8%)
- The value of sales by Auckland Pacific-owned businesses with employees was around $1.798 billion.
Export readiness and pathways for Pacific-led businesses
The purpose of the report 'Auckland Pacific Business Export and Trade Research' was to investigate the export readiness of Auckland-based Pacific-led businesses and identify pathways to scale Pacific innovation and enterprise into global markets in support of the government's 'Going for Growth' agenda.
The report captures the period September to December 2025, finding some general themes including:
- Lack of data on Pacific exporters and the informal Pacific export economy
- Cultural identity and digital creativity represent high growth future export strengths
- Pacific SMEs need system investment in partnerships, capability and leadership.
One of the 10 recommendations proposed creating a 'Pacific Business Export Readiness Toolkit' – helpful resources including templates, funding pathways and cultural intellectual property protections for Pacific exporters. Another recommendation included strengthening partnerships with various industry groups to scale Pacific intellectual property into global markets.
The importance of intellectual property protection for Pacific businesses
The importance of intellectual property protection cannot be overstated, particularly for new and emerging Pacific businesses. Stakeholders strongly emphasised the need for data visibility, mentoring, sector-specific training and recognising cultural IP as a strategic export asset. Survey and talanoa engagement surfaced critical capability gaps including knowledge of export compliance and access to accreditation support spanning customs, IP, food safety and quality assurance.
Pacific businesses face a double burden – firstly the universal SME compliance challenge, and secondly the compounding effect of limited access to expert guidance and culturally tailored pathways. A start-up entering export markets without a trade mark registration or an understanding of copyright protection risks losing the brand equity it has worked hard to build. Pacific enterprises hold strong cultural and commercial advantages through Pacific identity and IP – and protecting those advantages through a timely and well-informed IP strategy is essential to converting that potential into durable commercial value.
The survival data adds further urgency. The survival rate for Pacific-owned businesses is slightly lower than for businesses with no Pacific owners, making the early protection of commercial assets all the more critical. A registered trade mark deters copycats, a licensing agreement creates revenue streams that do not require physical export and a well-documented IP portfolio strengthens a business's position when seeking investment or export finance.
Pacific Kids' Learning (PKL) – a mother-founded, Pacific-led Indigenous edu-tech enterprise established in 2014 – illustrates this well. PKL creates bilingual and culturally grounded digital content for Pacific children and families, addressing both the absence of authentic Pacific children's media and the accelerating risk of language loss. PKL operates as a Pacific-owned platform – described as a "Spotify for stories" – where families retain IP rights, a model that resonates strongly with educators, donors and overseas governments seeking ethical, community-rooted solutions. Mainstream edu-tech markets have limited understanding of Indigenous data sovereignty – that is, the right of Pacific communities to govern how their cultural knowledge and data are stored, used and shared. This has required PKL to build its own parallel systems to protect cultural content: separate community-led approval processes, cultural authentication frameworks, and IP structures that sit alongside – rather than within – the standard commercial platforms and licensing models of the global edu-tech industry.
PKL demonstrates how Indigenous digital innovation, cultural intellectual property protection, and global demand for Pacific languages converge into a scalable export model, proving Pacific-led enterprises can drive growth, capability and international competitiveness. The proposed toolkit and industry partnerships are therefore not just about export readiness in the logistical sense – they are about ensuring that Pacific businesses own and can monetise the ideas, stories and innovations that make them distinctive.
