Te Kōrau will help you develop and fine-tune your ideas, critically examine every part of your idea and determine the next steps, as well as integrating real feedback from potential customers, mentors, experts and the community.

Based on the CO.STARTERS programme -  an internationally successful model for validating ideas and building a sustainable business - Te Kōrau weaves in Māori worldviews and narratives to help Māori entrepreneurs navigate their business in Te Ao hurihuri (worldwide).

It places business success within Te Ao Māori, recognising that our tikanga and environment mean we operate and prioritise different values and protocols in enterprise. He aha te mea nui o te ao, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. (What is important in the world, it is people, it is people, it is people.)

We know that your business will not only benefit you, but your wider whānau/hapu as a whole. Our goal is to equip and whakamana our people with the skills to lift both them and their wider whānau up by pursuing tino rangatiratanga and self-sufficiency to establish profitable businesses.

Module 1:

Whakawhanaungatanga
Knowing each other and yourself

• Whākapapa, pēpeha, building your confidence, working styles, team building, obstacles

Module 2:

Te mohio ki o kaihoko
Knowing your customer

• problem, solution, benefit, competition, advantage, customer

Module 3:

Ko te tika te whanautanga
Getting the relationship right

• Marketing and message; getting, keeping and growing customers

Module 4:

Te hanga tauira hei tauine
Building the model to scale

• Starting small, distribution, revenue, typical sale, price

Module 5:

Nga hangahanga umanga me nga whakaaroaro a ture
Business structures and legal considerations

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori Core values/tīkanga & business, tikanga, registering a business, licenses and permits, IP (incl. protecting cultural IP), hiring

Module 6:

Te kitenga i to raina raro
Discovering your bottom line

• Startup and ongoing needs, fixed and variable costs, break-even point

Module 7:

Mahi kaute kia tupu
Accounting for growth

• Sustainability by monetising your business (Ehara ka ora te iwi Maori ma te pipi me te aroha anake.), kōha/barter, break-even point, sales projections, cash flow, accounting

Module 8:

Te whakamahere mo te waaheke
Planning for the future

• Raising capital, growth plans, goal setting, pitch prep

Module 9:

Haakari
Showcase & Celebration

• Sharing your story and pitching

Te utu/ Programme costs:

We are asking for a koha of $200 per participant to cover kai and accommodation over the two wānanga. The programme value is over $1000 per participant and is made possible through support from Northland Inc and AUT.

If the cost is a barrier for you, please get in touch to discuss scholarship options.