11/11/2025
Māori Entrepreneurship & Digital Innovation Digest
November 9, 2025
Kia ora e te whānau,
This week: wāhine Māori business wins, new innovation partnerships, historic language celebration, and digital tools for growth.
1️⃣ MWDI Māori Businesswomen’s Awards: Nicole Horan (Hi Mama Productions) wins Supreme Award. 100+ wāhine recognised across 10 categories.
More: https://mwdi.co.nz/awards/
2️⃣ Callaghan Innovation & Te Taumata team up to support Māori business growth in tech, science, and export. Māori economy now tops $80B.
More: https://www.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/stories/new-partnership-supports-maori-business-innovation/
https://waateanews.com/2025/06/18/the-maori-economy-exceeds-80-billion/
3️⃣ Toitū Te Reo - Aotearoa’s first global Māori language festival - runs Nov 13–14 in Hastings. Celebrate te reo Māori, kai, kapa haka, and more.
More: https://www.toitutereo.co.nz
4️⃣ Free AI tools for Māori business: AI Activator and GovGPT (multilingual AI chatbot) help Māori enterprises access support and boost productivity.
More: https://www.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/stories/ai-activator-to-support-rapid-adoption-of-transformative-ai-technologies/
https://www.interest.co.nz/technology/129681/callaghan-innovation-and-wh%C4%81riki-m%C4%81ori-business-network-develop-govgpt-ai-chatbot
5️⃣ Māori economy reaches $80B+ with 24,000+ Māori-owned businesses. Forestry, fisheries, tourism, and tech lead the way.
More: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/05/13/maori-economy-thriving.html
6️⃣ 56% of non-Māori scientists now value mātauranga Māori equally to Western science, driving new research partnerships and innovation.
More: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2024/10/majority-of-nz-researchers-see-maori-indigenous-knowledge-as-relevant-to-their-workbut-there-is-a-gender-divide
Upcoming:
Nov 13–14: Toitū Te Reo Festival, Hastings – https://www.toitutereo.co.nz
Monthly: Innovation Wānanga, University of Auckland – https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/cie/programmes-workshops-events/all/innovation-wananga.html
Māori business is thriving - connect, innovate, and lead with tikanga. Tag a Māori entrepreneur or event making an impact!
