“One of the main goals of the Rangatahi Business Challenge is to re-introduce tauira Māori to the idea of being innovative or business,” says Ezekiel Raui (Te Rarawa), Rangatahi Business Challenge Facilitator, Young Enterprise Trust.

The Rangatahi Business Challenge aims to encourage rangatahi to learn about business and enterprise, and develop work-ready skills, and connect with local Māori entrepreneurs who are sharing their talents, passion and skills across Aotearoa and the world.

The Challenge is broken into three days beginning with ideation or getting the creative juices flowing.

“Firstly we start off with games and getting to know each other which is actually really good,” says Paea Slade (Te Aupōuri), Whangārei Girls High School. “We get an insight of who the people are that we’re going to work with and their personalities.”

A few of the skills that Zeke, and the team from Young Enterprise Trust, try to embed within tauira over the three days, is the importance of team work and building relationships.

“You don’t get to choose your teams when you move into a working environment. You have to learn to mix and mingle and work with other people so it’s very important for rangatahi to learn teamwork,” explains Zeke.

Rangatahi are encouraged to think outside the square, to be as creative as possible, to be as haututū as possible with some of the things that they have, and are also encouraged to show whānaungatanga.

On day two rangatahi work in groups, and start to look at what does business look like, what are some of the key roles or key components of a business.

“I joined the Rangatahi Business Challenge because I wanted to get a better insight of the processes of creating a business,” says Paea. “If you look at it there isn’t many Māori in the business world, especially Māori women, and I wanted to be empowered to try and become one.”

Rangatahi are placed into key roles and asked to consider the responsibilities of those roles within a business, such as Marketing, Finances, Strategy, Production, and CEO.

Throughout the Rangatahi Business Challenge rangatahi have access to Young Enterprise Trust facilitators who tautoko each group to achieve their business idea.

“The Rangatahi Business Challenge is a stepping stone to encourage rangatahi towards entrepreneurship and to let them know that for us as Māori we are inherently creative and this is a part of who we are,” says Zeke.

Day three is all about rangatahi. Encouraging them and empowering them to present their idea to a panel of local Māori entrepreneurs who are there to provide constructive feedback to each group.

“It’s about building those connections and hoping to showcase that, regardless of where we are now and our circumstances, anything is possible as long as we believe,” says Zeke.

“What motivated me to join this business challenge was to meet new people and just to get involved into something that will help me maybe for my future,” says Ryvierah Nordstrand (Ngāpuhi), Kaikohe Christian School.

“I’ve learned so much, especially teamwork and learning how to run a business and how to be a leader. Zeke was definitely helpful for us as Māori rangatahi, definitely opening up the doors and our eyes to a bigger world,” says Ohawini Hinemoana-Kingi (Ngātiwai), Whangārei Girls High School.

“I never used to be interested in business but since attending the Rangatahi Business Challenge, I’m interested,” says Ryvierah.

“I’ve learned to take opportunities and always put my best foot forward for anything,” says Shacay Hadfield Kingi (Ngātiwai), Whangārei Girls High School.

“The key things I’ll take away would be friendships because that’s a big thing for me. The more friends that I have the more people I can rely on to help me. Especially if we make friends through a business challenge we might be able to come out of that and create our own business for the community too,” says Paea.

“To me the idea of being haututū is the idea of being innovative and the reason why this is so important is because, just like our tūpuna have had to be innovative throughout history, we need to encourage and continue that moving into the future for the wellbeing of Te Ao Māori,” says Zeke.

Watch the videos below to see how the Rangatahi Business Challenge encourages rangatahi into business.

• Encouraging rangatahi into business or entrepreneurship through the Rangatahi Business Challenge
• Encouraging creativity through the Rangatahi Business Challenge
• Investing in our future leaders through the Rangatahi Business Challenge
• How the Rangatahi Business Challenge works

For more information on the Rangatahi Business Challenge contact the Young Enterprise Trust – www.youngenterprise.org.nz