Barry Soutar, Executive Director of Te Tira Toi Whakangao recently joined us at the launch of BDO’s Māori Business Survey Report in Tairāwhiti.
Te Tira Toi Whakangao, or T3W as it is more commonly known, is a Māori community-led, government enabled project initiated with early support at NZTE, Callaghan Innovation and Te Puni Kōkiri. Their purpose is to radically improve Māori prosperity by connecting whanau to the technology venturing ecosystem. This is no small feat. Barry shared with us T3W’s plan to help build 100 Māori tech companies, earning $500M in annual revenue, creating 2,500 jobs, operating from 30-40 regional tech hubs based in Māori communities, with $130M capital invested into Māori venturing and raise a $20M tech education fund within 5-10 years.
Watch the video to find out more about T3W’s mission.
Barry also took the time to catch up with BDO’s Head of Māori Business, Kylee Potae, to talk about the opportunities for Māori venturing into tech in the regions.