The National Awards for the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme were held in Wellington at the Duxton Hotel recently.

These annual awards are hosted each year by Enterprise New Zealand Trust to recognise the best young student companies participating in the initiative.

The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), enables senior secondary students to run their own company over the course of the academic year – the awards recognise innovation, commitment, sustainability, communication, technology, sales and marketing, financial skills and leadership as well as outstanding achievement in a service business and excellence in Pasifika and Māori business.

Ōpōtiki College’s company Kai from the Coast won the Quicken Award for Most Profitable Company and also won the Te Puni Kōkiri Award for Most successful Māori Company.

“Te Puni Kōkiri is proud to be associated with The Lion Foundation YES National Awards where we see rangatahi actively succeeding and nurturing their business potential,” says Te Puni Kōkiri acting Chief Executive Craig Owen.

“I would like to congratulate the Ōpōtiki College company Kai from the Coast for the innovative, creative and uniquely Māori approach they took to delivering a quality product to the world – it is a fantastic achievement,” he says.

Enterprise New Zealand has offered the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme for more than 25 years and this year over 3,500 senior secondary students participated, and together set up almost 600 companies.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to develop their creative and business skills,” says Donna Dentice, CEO of Enterprise New Zealand Trust. “Each year we find the standard of products and companies is better than the last and we fully expect that many of these young people will be the business leaders of the future.” It is expected the quality of products now being produced will have export potential.

Enterprise New Zealand Trust congratulates all the winners and thanks business sponsors and partners for their invaluable support.

For more information about Kai from the coast visit: http://www.opotikicol.school.nz/home/kaifromthecoast/