Māori Business Growth Support is about helping Māori establish and grow their business. We do this by providing information, advice and brokering relationships.
- About Māori Business Growth Support
- How we support Māori Businesses
- Information Resources
- Other business support services available to Māori businesses
- Māori business networks, and professional and industry associations
- Our Māori Business Growth Strategy
- Getting in touch
- Stories
- Events and updates
John Stevens (Hone Tipene) - Kohatu Cookers (Photo courtesy of Fairfax Media NZ - Taranaki Daily News)
About Māori Business Growth Support
Māori Business Growth Support helps Māori businesses to become established and grow. We provide information to those who are interested in setting up a new business and support existing businesses to plan their business growth pathway. We connect you with other business growth agencies who will help you establish and grow your business. Māori Business Growth Support focuses primarily on Māori small to medium sized enterprises (SME’s) that have a clear commercial focus. Our fundamental criteria is that the owner self-identifies as Māori and that the business is an independent entity based in New Zealand.
How we support Māori Businesses
The first step is to tell us a bit about you and your business or business idea. Completed registration forms can be emailed to your nearest regional office.
Te Puni Kōkiri supports Māori businesses through three channels:
- Information provision and networking
- Business growth assessment and planning
- Business support services
Information Resources
There are a range of information resources freely available from other government website to help you build your knowledge of what is involved in being in business. These links will take you to those websites.
Running a business
Tairāwhiti-preneur Bobbi Morice and her Ruatoria Pies business.
- Starting a business
- Buying an established business
- Building and growing a business
- Expanding, diversifying, innovating
- Building and growing exporting
- Dealing with challenges
- Strategic changes to your business
Business fundamentals
- Financial Management
- People Management
- Protecting your Business Value
Gaining nationally recognised business qualifications
- Foundational and Bridging Qualifications
- Business (Level 3 – 6)
- Māori business and management (Levels 3 and 4)
- Māori Governance (Levels 4 and 6)
Other business support services available to Māori businesses
Te Puni Kōkiri works in partnership with other agencies that provide business support services specifically for Māori businesses or for any business. Te Puni Kōkiri can assist Māori businesses to access these business support services or you can approach them directly. Eligibility criteria can be found on the websites for each of the services listed under the headings below.
Capability development
Poutama Trust
Provides advisory support and investment for business investigation, business training and business growth.
Te Tumu Paeroa
Provide land management services and training programmes for Māori land trustees (eg, financial skills for Māori land trustees).
Regional Business Partners
Nationally available advisory and referral service for capability development in business growth. Vouchers are available for training and services following assessment by a Regional Business Partner.
Exporting
NZTE
Advisory service, guides, templates, tools, workshops for businesses that are starting, building or focusing on exporting.
NZ Export Credit Office
Provides access to a range of products that help exporters mitigate repayment risk, secure export sales and access trade finance. An application fee applies.
Finance
Māori Women’s Development
Provides access to low-interest loans and a Timebank programme, which facilitates the exchange of skills, knowledge and time without money changing hands.
Work and Income
Provides access to finance for clients business start up costs.
Flexi-wage subsidy (work and income)
Provides a short-term wage subsidy to businesses wanting to hire a WINZ-nominated candidate for a role.
Innovation
Callaghan Innovation
Access to expertise, services, facilities and funds in the fields of innovation (including a Māori Innovation Hub), technology and product development, research and development.
Te Pūnaha Hihiko Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund
Funds for the development of skilled individuals and organisations in research and innovation through two schemes:
- Placement: builds research capability to benefit the Māori organisation hosting the placement and the research organisation or individual
- Connect: builds skills, networks and capacity of Māori organisations or individual researchers
Te Pūnāha Hiringa: Māori Innovation Fund
The fund invests in initiatives that develop capability and contribute to achieving the goals and priorities in He Kai Kei Aku Ringa and the Business Growth Agenda for Māori collectives or coalitions of collectives through two schemes:
- Commercial Advisor: professional business advice and mentoring to identify opportunities, begin new ventures or grow existing businesses and asset bases
- Governance & Management Development Scheme: training in governance, management, strategic planning and other business skills
Tourism
NZ Māori Tourism
Provides advisory services and general business information targeted to Māori tourism businesses.
There are a range of support services for initiatives in the primary sector. These are listed under the Whenua Māori Fund.
Māori business networks, and professional and industry associations
Active Māori business networks are listed below. If your local Māori business network is not included in the list, please contact your local Business Growth Advisor and provide details so the list can be updated.
Tāmaki Makaurau
Whāriki Māori Business Network
Waikato-Waiariki
Hamilton
Te Humeka
Tauranga
Tauranga Māori Business Network
Te Tai Hauāuru
Whanganui
Te Manu Atatu Incorporated
Kapiti & Horowhenua
Te Rōpū Pakihi
Wellington
Te Awe
Te Waipounamu
Otago/Southland
Te Kupeka Umaka Māori ki Araiteuru (KUMA)
The professional and industry associations listed below also provide formal and informal support for members.
- Ngā Aho – Māori design professionals
- Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa – Māori Law Society
- Te Ao Marama – NZ Māori Dental Association
- Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa – Māori Medical Practitioners Association
- Ngā Kaitatau Māori o Aotearoa – National Māori Accountants Network
- Ngā Pou Mana – Allied health professionals
- Te Kāhui Atawhai o Te Motu – National Collective Iwi Māori Social Services
- Ngā Kaitiaki o te Puna Rongoā – Māori Pharmacists’ Association Inc
Our Māori Business Growth Strategy
Te Puni Kōkiri will invest in developing your capability and capacity to strengthen and grow your business. This is done through support from our regional offices and through investment to address identified business needs.
Our three strategic priorities for 2017 – 2020:
- Priority 1: Improve the core business capability among Māori
- Priority 2: Improve the connectedness of Māori businesses
- Priority 3: Increase the number of sustainable, and growing, Māori businesses
Te Puni Kōkiri does not invest in your business by providing capital or operating funds, but we can help identify potential services and provide guidance to help you develop a comprehensive application for investment.
Getting in touch
Contact your regional Business Growth Advisor at the emails below:
- MaoriBusiness.TeTaitokerau@tpk.govt.nz
- MaoriBusiness.Tamaki-Makaurau@tpk.govt.nz
- MaoriBusiness.Waikato-Waiariki@tpk.govt.nz
- MaoriBusiness.Ikaroa-Rawhiti@tpk.govt.nz
- MaoriBusiness.TeTaiHauauru@tpk.govt.nz
- MaoriBusiness.TeWaipounamu@tpk.govt.nz
To phone or visit a regional office click here.
Stories
Events and Updates
Latest events and updates for this section are listed below.
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Māori pop-up shop highlights in central Kirikiriroa
New and contemporary Māori goods and fashion pop-up store Ono has found a home in the multi-cultural Casabella Lane in Hamilton giving retailers additional options to choose from this year.
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Investing in our future business leaders and entrepreneurs
Supported by Te Puni Kōkiri and run by Young Enterprise Trust, the Rangatahi Business Challenge is a fun and interactive 3-day introduction to business and enterprise for year 9-11 tauira.
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Growing Māori wahine leaders
I was part way through my diploma studying civil engineering and I felt I needed practical experience.
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Te Ara Whanake programme changed me
I want others to be inspired by my journey, to go for it, and not be hesitant or let fear get in their way.
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Rhiannon Dreadon
Matariki X is back in 2019 to inspire and empower Māori innovators. Connect with others, share new ideas, and learn how to better manage and grow your business.
- Registration required
- Organiser: Callaghan Innovation
