An International Business Opportunity for YES Students

The Global Kaitiakitanga Project is a seven-month programme running from March 2021 – September 2021.  All five participating YES companies will be supported to develop and scale their business with   

• Four business development workshops led by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) 

• An NZTE mentor assigned to each company for the duration of the programme 

In September 2021 a Dragons’ Den style pitch event will be held to determine the programme winner. Subject to international travel restrictions, the winning company will travel to Expo 2020 in Dubai to showcase their product or service in the New Zealand Pavilion. The individuals from the winning company will also act as New Zealand’s youth ambassadors at other youth and innovation related activities at Expo 2020. 

Note - While this programme has been designed to work alongside the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), it is, in fact, a stand-alone New Zealand at Expo 2020 initiative.

Congarulations to the 5 YES Companies who were selected to participate in cohort 2:

Abalro Health - Bayfield High School, Otago

Harnessing the power of raw barberries, Abalro Health has created a supplement to help those suffering from acne. Using locally sourced products and reusable packaging, the company is the only New Zealand-based company using barberries. Robert Donohoe, Abby Green and Alex Livingstone from Bayfield High School, Otago are on a mission to help the physical and emotional wellbeing of those in need. It is estimated that 80% of the population will at one time in the life suffer from acne and studies show that barberries reduce acne by 43% in just four weeks.

GreenKiwi Supplements - Kerikeri High School, Northland

Max Donaldson from Kerikeri High School, Northland has developed the world’s first bio available, New Zealand grown, olive leaf supplement called OliveXtract. Olive leaf extract has a variety of health benefits including improved cardiovascular health. GreenKiwi Supplements use olive trees which have been grown without artificial fertilisers, irrigation or synthetic chemicals which supports the native biodiversity of the far north of New Zealand.

KetoSak - Hamilton Christian School, Waikato

KetoSak offers complete keto meal solutions without the emphasis on traditional meat and dairy products; which could significantly decrease the impact of Co2, other greenhouse gases and polluted water from the agricultural industry. As keto has gained increasing global attention the company believes that not only are the products able to address some obesity issues but there will also be a benefit for the wider environment. Devett Groves is the founder and CEO of KetoSak and is from Hamilton Christian School, Waikato.

 NDLR - Kamo High School, Northland

The Neuro Diverse Learning Resources company (NDLR) is founded by Mya Kereopa and Kahn Tangihaere-Brom from Kamo High School, Northland. The company creates resources designed to aid and develop vital life skills for children with intellectual disabilities. The resources use simple wording, a soft colour palate and high-quality illustrations which have been specifically brought together for the neuro diverse community. The founders identified that there was a real gap in the market for the 2 million plus global market who have intellectual disabilities and hope that their resources will be translated into many languages for global use.

Taiwhenua - Glendowie College, Auckland

Created to support and rehabilitate the homeless population in New Zealand, TaiWhenua is a housing ready programme providing sustainable homes in the form of recycled shipping containers. Aligned with the UN drive to end the international homelessness epidemic by 2030, the company is run by four students from Glendowie College, Auckland East; including CEO Holly Timmins, Bella Nola, Ryan Gin and Vanessa Dinh.