Welcome back! Today we’re talking to the crew who make the sushi magic happen in Onehunga. Our newest team member is Suman, a dynamic young lady bringing her depth of experiences and passion to our newest shop. What is so interesting about her background? Read on!
Suman is from the high, landlocked plateau of Inner Mongolia. Raised with Mongolian as her mother tongue, she also learned Mandarin from a young age, making her a natural communicator. Her passion for language led her to study at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, hundreds of kms from home. The historic port city of Dalian has deep connections with Japan and Korea, and after graduating with a degree in Japanese, Suman moved to Japan, where she worked and studied for six years. So with such broad experiences across East Asia, why is Suman in Auckland?
“I wanted to improve my English and heard many good things about New Zealand. I came here in 2018 to language school for ten months. The people are just so friendly and relaxed, it’s an amazing place, so I decided to stay. I want to do postgraduate study, but need to boost my IELTS score, so I worked in sales for a couple of years. Then I heard St. Pierre’s are hiring, and jumped at the chance.”
Suman used her communication and analysis skills to research the company, reading on this website about our staff, such as Ning in Hastings and area manager Johnny. It struck her that
“St. Pierre’s has a very diverse workforce. I really like that we give foreigners in NZ a fair chance too. I could see a system to help people grow into assistant managers and managers, which is fantastic. I could also see the company helps people to dream big, and sent in my CV with great hope.”
It didn’t take long for Suman to be hired as part of the founding Onehunga team. And while she’s embracing the work in front of her, she’s also looking ahead other challenges.
I’m very keen to get ahead in the company. I’m inspired by how Rico started as crew a few years back and is now manager of this brand-new shop. With hard work, I can see a clear path to growth. At the same time, I want to learn more about NZ, especially how it works to include its minorities. I did my MA in education sociology, focusing on multiculturalism, and I think comparing East Asian and NZ examples will create positive ideas. In a diverse world, I believe that communication and inclusiveness are the keys to everyone reaching their potential.”
Fluent in three languages and passionate about the power of communication to improve lives, Suman is already a key member of the Onehunga team. We’re very glad she chose to bring her energy and ideas here!

Suman is proud of her achievements so far, and we want to back her ambition! At St. Pierre’s, we have a strong culture of supporting each other as we set challenging goals. Suman shows that a positive attitude takes you to great heights – here’s to everyone across the St. Pierre’s Group aiming high!