Auckland students from five secondary schools have been rewarded for their entrepreneurial flair, passion and dedication to launching innovative businesses which they have built from the ground up.
Six teams of Year 12 and 13 students have been named as Auckland regional finalists in the Lion Foundation 2017 Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), and will go on to compete in the YES national finals in Wellington in December.
YES Auckland regional finalists for 2017 are:
- Clear Free – Rangitoto College (North Auckland)
A natural, multi-purpose spray to help teenagers suffering from the common skin disease, acne vulgaris, known as acne. - Easy Eats – Kings College (Central Auckland)
A recipe book called ‘The Munchies’ to help university students make easy, quick, healthy and affordable meals, with celebrity chefs also lending a hand. - Olelei – Henderson High School (West Auckland)
Supplying dairy free, almond goodness (milk, yoghurt, flour and ice cream products) to stores and customers all over New Zealand. - Quick Jandal – Ormiston Senior College (East Auckland)
A startup on-line food delivery service where customers use a mobile app to place orders at one of Quick Jandal’s signed up restaurants, or takeaway outlets. - Festivilia – Ormiston Senior College (East Auckland)
Created a hard-copy book called ‘A Year of Festivals’ exploring the unique festivals and celebrations which make New Zealand so diverse, educating youth about New Zealand’s multicultural society. - Foundry Collective – Westmount Auckland Campus (South Auckland)
An online marketplace for Kiwi artisans to sell their products. Developed by 21st Century New Zealanders with pride for the people and products which make our nation unique.
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) facilitates YES in Auckland on behalf of the Young Enterprise Trust.
ATEED’s Acting General Manager of Business, Innovation and Skills, Pam Ford, praises the calibre of businesses created by YES students, and says developing entrepreneurial pathways for Auckland’s young people through programmes like YES is really important.
“YES works to develop young business people, teaching them to seek out opportunities and act on them, and enabling students to experience the value of innovative thinking and cultivate enterprising attributes.
“Young people are our future workforce, and they play a pivotal role in transforming and growing Auckland’s economy, so supporting them is important,” Pam Ford says.
One hundred and eighty four schools from 21 regions across New Zealand took place in YES this year. In Auckland, 1,400 students from 56 schools are participating this year.