New Zealand to offer a Māori cultural connection at AIME 2022

Tourism New Zealand is set to exhibit at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings (AIME) event 2022, 21-23 March. New Zealand’s meeting industry aims to make a deeper connection at the trade show, with guests being encouraged to learn their Pepeha. Pepeha is a traditional structured introduction in Māori culture that connects people to place, with the goal of identifying yourself and making connections with others. It draws on natural landscapes to pain a picture of where someone belongs. Guests to the TNZ stand will receive assistance to create their own version of the Pepeha that names their maunga (mountain) and moana (river or sea), and whānau or family name. The New Zealand partners will be able to reciprocate with their own Pepeha, seeking to find common connections. Guests will be able to take a printed artwork of their Pepeha home. Bjoern Spreitzer, general manager of domestic and business events at Tourism New Zealand, stated: “Pepeha speaks to each individual’s identity and provides a warm introduction for connecting with others; where they’re from, what is important to them. These are all important connections to make when organising a business event. Events in New Zealand often incorporate cultural concepts, such as laying a wero (setting a challenge for delegates to consider) or coming together for uplifting waiata (traditional songs). Guests to New Zealand’s AIME stand will also be able to meet with representatives from Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team, regional convention bureaux and hotels, to discuss bringing their next business event to New Zealand. Representatives of the three new generation convention centres in New Zealand – Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre and the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland – will also be on stand. Spreitzer added: “With new venues and activities coming online, plus flexible, competitive and business-specific funding and support on offer, there’s lots for us to share with event organisers from across the region.”