PAKIHI

If there is one statistic I really dislike - is that the wāhine Māori economy is a growing economy, currently equal to 3.2% of  national GDP, expected to rise to 22% in the next 20 years.  Yet,  Māori businesses have twice the failure rate of New Zealand businesses generally over the first three years.

While there appears to be lots of support out there for wāhine Māori in business, it is often not accessible to you at the stage you really need it, or its generic, or outdated, with limited expertise in ecommerce.

There are  unique differences for an ecommerce businesses, even more so when you create Māori & Pacific inspired products, or products targeted primarily for Māori & Pacific audiences. Unfortunately, we are still "young" in our views and support of pakihi Māori, so often, the worst critics are our own, making every step in the journey that much more challenging. 

For the past 3 years I have been sharing my business journey on Tik Tok, in the hope of sharing the knowledge so that less wāhine Māori in business fall over in the first 3 years.  

2024 has been a very challenging year for my pakihi, where I have come close to falling over also.  It has really made me reflect on what is missing in the Māori business eco system and ways in which I can contribute to that.  So many of us are creatives, most often kaupapa driven, with a desire to see our whānau and community in a better position. Most often we are the trailblazers, the first in our whānau, so we have lots of whānau tautoko, but very little business expertise we can hook into,  or safety nets to catch us.  

I have the choice as a wāhine Māori in business - I can either keep moaning about what I see is missing in the ecommerce space to help Māori & Pacific in business - or I can start doing something about it myself. So I am. 

I have a degree in business and previously taught the Certificate in Small Business Management for Te Wananga o Aotearoa for several years.  However, the best knowledge I have is what I've acquired growing my own ecommerce business for the past 6 years. There's such a big difference between theory and reality when you are in the thick of things! That is what I would prefer to focus on - reality, daily habits and actions you can take to make changes in your business. 

Watch this space as I develop services & resources, targeted specifically to Māori & Pacific business owners focused on; 

• Business Planning
• Business Systems
• Business Sustainability & 
• Marketing

 In the meantime, you can book in a discovery call with me, and let's see what we can do to help you thrive, not just survive in your business.