November Networking Evening with Papali'i Dr. Pita Taouma

Papali'i Dr. Pita Taouma with SBN Inc member, Pafelio Momoisea(L) & Maria Fastnedge of Pacific Business Trust.

The Samoa Business Network (SBN Inc) held the last of its very successful Networking Evenings for 2013 at the BNZ in Penrose. Hosted by ShopSamoa.com, the bank came to life as a dazzling display of ShopSamoa.com’s finest products were displayed around the premises. Founded in 2011 and based in Penrose, ShopSamoa.Com is a part of SAMOANZ Ltd Company, and is Samoa's premier online store, offering a wide range of products from DVDs, Handicrafts to Books & more.

In keeping with the purpose of the promotion of all things Samoan, the Networking evening’s guest speaker and the way in which the programme panned out were equally enchanting. The guest speaker for the evening, Papali'i Dr. Pita Taouma is no stranger to the Samoan community, and has devoted much of his life to serving the Samoan community here in New Zealand and in Samoa through a variety of portfolios.
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The evening began with an opening prayer from Pafelio Momoisea, a licensed consultant for Harcourts and member of the Samoa Business Network, followed by fellow SBN Member, Samoa’s Trade Commissioner Fonoti Dr Lafita'i Iupati Fuata'i who set the context for the evening, by providing a very insightful introduction to Papali’i and the significant contribution he has made to our Samoan people.

Papali’i’s address entitled the ‘Marriage of Business and the Fa’aSamoa’, was an insightful piece, richly informed with a wealth of experience and knowledge of all things political and business-wise; ideas, values and understandings developed over a very long and successful career in service of one’s country.

Papali’i began his address by asking what appeared to be a much younger crowd, what the relationship was between business and the Fa’aSamoa, and confirmed what many assumed when he stated that the relationship, has often in the past been quite disastrous. Papali’i then offered a recipe, with three key aspects to avoid, in order to ensure that the marriage of business and the Fa’aSamoa is successful.

Called the three FIA’s, Papalii warned participants to stay away from being "fia tagata, fia tele, and fia sili". He then supplemented this advice, by advising listeners to first of all be aware of their faiā; being aware of the interrelationships – your place in amongst others with your aiga, your immediate and extended family, your family relations and associations, your village and your country. And although Papali’i acknowledged alofa as a core concept of the Fa’aSamoa he also warned that in the world of business, that this needed to be regulated for the benefit of the business, and that this could be achieved easily by remembering these steps.

[A video of Papali'i Dr. Pita Taouma's presentation will be made available soon on our website. Please subscribe to our newsletter by sending your details to info@samoabusinessnetwork.org]