“No matter how many development projects improved lives with better health and sanitation or schools or roads, how hard the local people worked, how educated or empowered they became, if they could not earn a fair reward for their work, then development in terms of poverty reduction, and the benefits of poverty reduction could not be achieved,” said Dr Susan Maiava, FIND FAIR Co-Founder.
Maiava and her daughter Matai’a Sarah Richards are the Co-Founders on a mission to make ethical shopping mainstream. FIND FAIR is a Google Chrome extension available to download from the Chrome Web Store. It’s free, simple, easy to use and highlights ethical choices for customers as they search and shop online.
Maiava has had an impressive 40 years in the development field. She completed a Bachelor of Science at Massey University, volunteered and lectured at the National University of Samoa, completed an MA in rural development at Reading University on a Commonwealth Scholarship and completed her PhD in Development Studies back with Massey before further lecturing.
The Co-Founder has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, managing their AID programmes in Niue and Tokelau and, most recently, held governance roles with several not-for-profits, such as Leprosy Mission International and Hagar. She has extensive knowledge of the Pacific but has also travelled further abroad to Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam, visiting projects relating to health, reducing stigma, microfinance, sustainable livelihoods and fighting human trafficking.
“Over my 40 years in the development field, I saw a lot of good work being done, mostly in collaboration with and by local people themselves. I remain in awe of local people who work passionately for a better future in difficult conditions, with limited resources and always with hope. And they can’t go back to a hotel as I could. I am very much in favour of aligning with local priorities and supporting locally-led initiatives.”
When the pandemic began, Maiava founded fair&good, an independent not-for-profit online ethical directory. In 2022, she Co-Founded FIND FAIR as an extension of her organisation's goals that consumers can use directly to help influence ethical shopping decisions. The aim is to create increased demand for ethically sourced products and a tipping point that forces suppliers and retailers to sell ethical products as part of their mainstream practice.
FIND FAIR in action on a Google Search for Peanut Butter
In the last five years, modern slavery increased from 40 million to 50 million people, and extreme poverty has risen to over 700 million people. The global shocks of Covid, conflict and climate change have increased inequalities, vulnerabilities and exploitation. Maiava’s research has shown that fair-minded New Zealanders want to know they are not complicit in this, where their products are from, and who has made them.
The small but dedicated team at FIND FAIR researches and selects brands that meet their ethical criteria. But Maiava is always open to connecting with new businesses.
Brands must have a social justice focus and a connection with developing countries. In large companies, they look for transparent supply reporting, robust auditing and supplier codes of conduct. In medium companies, they look for trusted and recognised certifications, components or ingredients such as Fairtrade, GOTS Cotton, Rainforest Alliance, B Corp, Trade Aid, WFTO member, SPCA certified or rated A or A+ in the Tearfund Ethical Fashion Guide. Smaller businesses must have direct relationships with their suppliers or creative communities.
Find Fair on the Supie website
All brands are then checked against FIND FAIR’s own nine values: fair labour, supply chain transparency, gender equality, inclusiveness, community involvement, giving back, eco-consciousness, animal welfare and consistency.
“One thing I will mention is consistency. This means values are applied in all areas across the business so we can be sure they are not just ‘social justice washing’ their image and are genuinely on an ethical journey.”
In FMCG, a number of large brands are endorsed by FIND FAIR. Including Arnotts, Griffins, Whittakers, Milo, KitKat, Sealord, Kokako, Dilmah, Ceres Organics, Trade Aid, Nice Blocks, Kara Coconut Cream, All Good bananas, and Fix and Fogg. A personal favourite is Karma Drinks. Maiava loves the Lemmy drink and the company’s continued support of villages in Sierra Leone with the Karma Foundation.
Maiava’s current focus is to make FIND FAIR more widely known and encourage people to download it, which is also part of the long-term goal of harnessing purchasing power for ethical products.
“In terms of supermarket shopping, we currently have hundreds of brands and thousands of products that have been intensified as ethical. Our aim is to be as comprehensive as possible, over as many categories as possible - from coffee to cat food.”
Her lifelong inability to accept exploitation and poverty, her inability to stand by and do nothing, and her years of experience in the development field mean Maiava must demand and make change.
