Developing a Pacific brand to generate consumer awareness and a demand for Pacific Islands goods will be discussed further at conference in Auckland this week.
The event is being organised by the Pacific Cooperation Foundation, or PCF, and is aimed at finding ways for the Pacific countries to weather the economic storm.
The PCF chief executive Meg Poutasi says they hope to bridge the 700 million US dollar trade deficit between Pacific Island countries and New Zealand.
"Our organisation is considering the development of a Pacific Brand that would be a region of origin mark of Pacific goods. So that market would indicate that you brought a good[s] made in the Pacific and I guess it would associate with a lot of positive initiatives around that including natural or organic or locally made products."
Meg Poutasi says they hope to come up with practical solutions for mainly tourism, trade and employment and ways Pacific-orientated businesses can cope with the impact of the current recession.
