Bay of Plenty Business News Year Book 2023

JAMES & WELLS
Forging lasting partnerships
with Bay culture
JAMES AND WELLS’
REPUTATION AS the leading
privately owned intellectual
property law practice in the
Bay extends to also being the
leader in representing and
understanding New Zealand’s
rapidly emerging, diverse
Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurs.
Recognising the rising pool of talent in
this sector, and the need to understand
and protect their innovations, James &
Wells appointed Tonia Brugh late last
year as a partner who brings a deep
appreciation of Pasifika and Māori
culture. This comes alongside her
extensive experience in both domestic
and international intellectual property
(IP) law.
Tonia spent her formative years growing
up in Rarotonga and holds a passion
for supporting Māori and Pasifika. Her
commitment to the indigenous sector is
reiterated by her pro-bono contribution
to working with a number of Māori
boards including Te Aka Māori Dictionary,
and her co-chair role on the Pacific
Islands Community Trust Bay of Plenty.
Tonia and her team at James & Wells are
witnessing an encouraging growth in
innovations from the Māori and Pasifika
sector, in part encouraged by the
increase in funding initiatives available
and greater business guidance offered.
They are working closely with an
emerging talent base of Māori and
Pasifika in the multi-media, technology,
and digital sectors, with Tonia’s
deep level of experience overseas
working with the IT, technology and
entertainment sectors helping channel
and protect the exciting innovations
coming forward.
The team at James & Wells are witnessing
a more diverse, open approach to
JAMES & WELLS
APPOINTED TONIA
BRUGH LATE LAST
YEAR WHO BRINGS A
DEEP APPRECIATION
OF PASIFIKA AND
MĀORI CULTURE.
how these young entrepreneurs are
developing their ideas and advancing
their futures, often quite differently
from traditional innovation pathways.
The recognition of Māori and Pasifika
as partners across all sectors in a region
offering as many opportunities as the
Bay of Plenty makes for an exciting,
challenging time.
Tonia is encouraged by seeing
some exciting developments in the
Recognised Seasonal Employer space
with Pasifika led solutions to the
challenges the scheme can bring, while
helping advance some of the Bay’s key
sectors including mussel processing and
kiwifruit.
For the team at James & Wells, part of
the challenge with this rapidly emerging,
young vibrant sector is helping other
players develop meaningful connections.
Building relationships, and most
importantly developing long-term,
authentic and meaningful connections
is critical for sustainable business
partnerships that go deeper than simple
financial transactions. Helping people
learn to see relationships as being about
more than simply business is a big part of
James & Wells’ role.
The team at James & Wells is excited by
the opportunities stronger connections
with Māori and Pasifika and can offer to
NZ Inc, and also aware of the obstacles
ahead.
As interest and appreciation of
Mātauranga Māori, tikanga and
kawa gathers strength year by year,
incorporating it into intellectual property
law remains one of the biggest
challenges.
They recognise that only reform across
almost all aspects of New Zealand policy
and law will enforce wider change,
underscored by recent efforts to try and
protect the term Mānuka Honey in New
Zealand.
Here in the Bay of Plenty, the region
is poised to benefit more than most
from efforts to nurture indigenous
entrepreneurship.
The region’s multiple Māori and Pasifika
owned businesses, and the inspiring
people who lead them, provide a
unique opportunity to bring the skills and
knowledge of the James & Wells team
to bear and help unlock the talent for this
and the next generation of innovators.
07 928 4470
WWW.JAMESANDWELLS.COM
32 | YEAR BOOK 2023