A group of budding Māori digital entrepreneurs have been selected as finalists in the DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge which aims to stimulate interest and involvement of Māori in New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem.
Ten ideas – submitted either by individuals or teams of up to five people – have been selected in two categories, mauri tū (26 years and over) and mauri oho (15-25 year olds). The finalists are:
Mauri tu: open category
| Name/Team Leader | Entry | Region |
| Rawiri Pakinga (Team) | MaraEye | Rotorua |
| Adele Sauer (Team) | SeeCom | Hamilton |
| Ataria Sharman (Team) | Wā | Porirua |
| Lauren Graham (Team) | Aroha & Ako | Auckland |
| Louisa Browne (Individual) | BAC Face | Auckland |
Mauri oho: youth category
| Name/Team Leader | Entry | Region |
| Hone Douglas (Individual) | Drone Patrol | Whakatane |
| Madeleine de Young (Team) | Encounter | Ōtaki |
| Nicole Calderwood (Individual) | Scholar+ | Hamilton |
| Perry Preston (Individual) | Critters | Tauranga |
| Renata Te Nana (Team) | Native BnB | Whangarei |
Mike Taitoko – a DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge judge, Managing Director of technology company Waiora Pacific, and an Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) board member – says finalists submitted a broad range of ideas.
“These ranged from tourism applications to tertiary education ideas, and gaming and language concepts. One thing many of the applications had in common was the use of technology to improve the lives of whanau, rather than just producing another app,” he says.
Mike Taitoko says: “It’s vital that we work to encourage more Māori into the thriving technology and innovation sector and build capacity by encouraging more involvement through initiatives such as the DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge.”
Taitoko is one of four DIGMYIDEA Māori Innovation Challenge judges, Maru Nihoniho, founder and managing director of game development company, Metia Interactive, Robett Hollis, digital entrepreneur and founder of ColabNZ and Aranui Ventures, and Lillian Grace, founder and CEO of Figure.NZ, an organisation that empowers New Zealanders to make better decisions with the help of data.
Patrick McVeigh, ATEED General Manager Business Innovation and Skills, says finalists will take part in a weekend mentoring workshop, known as a DIGIwānanga, on 13-14 May, as part of Techweek’17.
“After mentoring sessions to further develop their entries, finalists will pitch their ideas to the judges. The overall winner in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony on Sunday, 14 May, with the prize being business start-up assistance to help commercialise their ideas, to the Value of $10,000,” he says.
DIGMYIDEA is designed and delivered by ATEED with support from He Kai Kei Aku Ringa (HKKAR); a Crown-Māori Economic Growth Partnership, Callaghan Innovation; the government’s business innovation agency; Te Wānanga o Aotearoa; a wānanga (an indigenous tertiary education provider) in New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the government’s international business development agency; and Poutama Trust; an independent charitable trust.