BizFest 2025

Porirua BizFest 2025:
Kōpū i te Pae – Light up the Horizon

This year’s BizFest is Porirua's big day out for business people to be inspired, make connections and help grow their business.

It’s happening at Te Rauparaha Arena on 1 July 2025.

The day will bring together current and aspiring entrepreneurs and provide opportunities to engage in three key areas, with speakers, panel discussions and other kōrero about:

• what’s on the economic horizon for our region and city
• how business leaders are navigating uncertain economic conditions
• seizing opportunities during times of change and the key ingredients for innovation and success.

You can read the news release here.

Nate Lopa

Nate has demonstrated a passion as a master of ceremonies, which has led him to MC events as a student at Victoria University, as well as many Porirua and Wellington community events. He debuted at the 2017 Creekfest and returned to Creekfest in 2022, and has been MC at different events, including Pasifika United Porirua PolyFest, Huttfest, and more recently all the Wellington Vax Festivals.

Tania Carr, The Coaching Hub

Tania Carr hails from Cannons Creek, Porirua – a businesswoman, coach, public speaker, author, māmā and nana. She’s passionate about creating meaningful connections and making a real difference in people’s lives. Tania brings energy, heart, and purpose to every space she steps into. As the kaiwhakahaere of Real Talk, she leads powerful conversations that uplift, inspire, and empower rangatahi and communities throughout Aotearoa. Tania is also a recipient of a New Zealander of the Year Local Hero 2025 medal, recognising the impact of her mahi.

Boyd is from Takapūwāhia, with an extensive experience as an executive leader, director, and business advisor across Māori, public and private sectors. His expertise spans business transformation, strategic management and deal advisory. An award-winning business leader, Boyd holds advanced tertiary and industry qualifications in executive leadership, commercial governance, business management and technology. He understands the complexities of a fast-changing economy and creates meaningful opportunities for iwi and communities.

Brad Olsen is the Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Infometrics and is one of New Zealand’s leading economic commentators across TV, radio, and print media.

With extensive networks across New Zealand’s business, media, community, and social sectors, Brad brings together a variety of influential views, data, and emerging trends to inform and advise key decision makers and the public across New Zealand so they can make better informed decisions.

Brad is passionate about using economics to make better informed decisions and can communicate complex and detailed trends in a simple, relatable, and useful manner.

Dame Valerie Adams is undoubtedly the most dominant track and field star New Zealand has ever produced.

From 2006–2014 Dame Valerie was unbeaten in major championships, enjoying an unprecedented winning streak in world athletics of 107 competitions during that period. Her major wins included back-to-back Olympic gold at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, and four world championship titles.

In 2016, Dame Valerie added silver to her Olympic medal collection at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and was later appointed as a Dame of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Athletics.

As a mother of two, Dame Valerie continued to compete at the top level and won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (postponed to 2021) while also coaching younger sister Lisa to her gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the shotput.

Dame Valerie announced she would be hanging up her throwing shoes in March 2022. She continues to be involved in Athletics and is Chair of the World Athletics Athletes Commission, is a World Athletics Council Member, and in September 2022 was appointed to the board of High Performance Sport NZ. Dame Valerie also enjoys spending time with her young family, working in the community supporting causes such as Jammies for June with the Middlemore Foundation and Game Plan AKL with Aktiv Auckland and with her valued commercial partners.

Dame Valerie is a leader and role model in the Pacific community, a seven-time Halberg sportswoman of the year and featured in a theatrical documentary film Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold on her life and sporting career, which was released in October 2022.

Nu’uali’i Eteroa Lafaele hails from the breathtaking islands of Samoa, with roots in the villages of Fogapoa, Leulumoega Tuai, and Tafagamanu Lefaga.

Born and raised in Cannons Creek, Porirua, Eteroa has always been driven by a passion for service, which has guided her throughout her career.

This dedication to serving her community led to the creation of DigiTautua, an initiative where Eteroa and her team refurbished and fundraised for devices to bridge the digital divide.

Building on this mission, she co-founded Fibre Fale in 2022, a purpose-driven collective aimed at creating pathways for Pacific people in tech.

Ben was born in Dunedin in 1988 at the same time his father, Sir Ian Taylor, was founding Animation Research LTD (ARL). Ben spent his childhood surrounded by innovation and unorthodox thinking. Originally nick-named 'seek and destroy' along with his older brother for the chaos they caused at ARL, Ben now uses that same disruptive energy to revolutionize the way we consume some of the biggest sports events in the world.

To the shock of both his parents, at 16 years old Ben declared he was going to boarding school having already completed the necessary transfer paperwork with both headmasters. He had decided he was going to get a scholarship to play college tennis in the States and being based in Wellington was a necessary step.

The most surprising part about all of this was that Ben wasn't that great at tennis.

Neil Ieremia is arguably New Zealand’s most accomplished choreographer, a creative entrepreneur and an inspirational leader.

Born in Porirua and of Samoan heritage, Mr Ieremia was raised in a tough working class neighbourhood in a country focused more on sporting prowess and agriculture rather than creative expression.

At the age of nineteen and with no formal training, Mr Ieremia resigned from his banking job, left home, enrolled in a full-time dance programme and broke his parents’ hearts.

As a freelance professional dancer, Mr Ieremia worked with many leading New Zealand choreographers as well as creating a number of commissioned works before founding Black Grace in 1995.