Rotorua Māori business support programme meets growing demand

The 2025 cohort of Te Aka Matua participating in their first wānanga (seminar). Photo / Ngahuia Ormsby

A Rotorua programme made by Māori for Māori is seeing rising demand and participants say it is transforming the way they run their businesses.

Te Aka Matua, by IndigiShare Charitable Trust and funded by the Booster Foundation, has wrapped up its second year, supporting nine Māori-owned businesses.

IndigiShare chief executive Maria Ngawati (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaue) said mainstream business support often “fails to connect with Māori, both in delivery and intent”.

“This isn’t just about launching businesses, it’s about intergenerational resilience,” she said.

Ngawati said Māori businesses needed more than money. They needed relationships, mentoring and tools grounded in kaupapa Māori.

“That’s what sets Te Aka Matua apart,” she said.

The programme was created in 2023 as a response to the significant barriers to success for Māori entrepreneurs.

These barriers included limited access to culturally relevant support, low uptake of mainstream financial services, and isolation from expert business networks.

Feedback from the 2025 cohort showed the programme was delivering.

Every participant said it had positively shaped the direction of their business, giving them clarity, confidence and culturally relevant resources.

Ōkāreka Oro founder Keri Pewhairangi Uenuku-Kōpako (Te Arawa) said learning cashflow budgeting was one of the most valuable lessons, helping prioritise needs before wants, vital for keeping their business alive.

Sophie Williams Tūhourangi (Te Arawa), founder of Te Whare Tapere o Te Arawa, said the programme “empowered” them to “move beyond the passion of performance and storytelling”, helping them understand foundational business practices required to thrive long-term.

This year’s Te Aka Matua participants were a diverse group of businesses ranging from strategic consultancy, trades, employment services, digital storytelling, and cultural education.

Ngawati said with two successful intakes completed, IndigiShare would continue to refine and expand Te Aka Matua to meet the growing demand from pakihi Māori across Aotearoa.

Applications for the next intake open in 2026.

Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.