Puna Awarau is the Māori word used in Aotearoa to describe Supplier Diversity.
Gifted by Te Mete Lowman, it is not a transliteration but a translation of the intent of supplier diversity.
Ko te wai te oranga o nga mea katoa, water is the life-giver of all things. It has mauri, a vitality, an energy that has the power to give life. Water is also about connection, flowing between people and place. This is the inspiration behind the name Puna Awarau.
Puna, a spring of water
Awa, a river or stream
Rau, many Metaphorically, it signals ‘streams’ of wellbeing and prosperity that can flow to many.
Puna Awarau represents the intent of Supplier Diversity, and its ability to feed into many streams with a flow on effect that continues to nourish its surrounding environment like lifeblood. Whilst Puna Awarau was specifically given to represent the intent of supplier diversity, its easy to see how this name can represent may things. The ripple impact of our actions in procurement as a whole and the many streams it can nourish.
Our brand, our logo, and designs are all based off of this concept. The inner koru of our logo represent the puna and ripples demonstrating the impact and flow on effect.
E mihi ana kia Te Mete Lowman i waihanga i te kupu Puna Awarau.