15 Jul 2022
An exciting new initiative, developed under the Pacific Arts Strategy 2018-2023, will upskill Pasifika creative enterprises and support them on their journey to building sustainability and resilience.
Co-designed alongside the team at Manaaki, this 12-week learning programme will see 10 creative Pasifika ventures with existing business models take part in online training workshops and spend time with mentors.
Participants will move through a series of modules based on a project of their choosing to upskill them in areas of finance, business models, intellectual property, digital and business planning, and time management. They’ll also be matched with mentors to support development of strategic planning and financial goal setting.
This pilot programme aligns with the Pacific Arts Strategy focus areas of Tagata (leadership development), Vaka (capability building) and Va (relationship and network building).
The programme begins on 15 August and has a total investment of $125,000 – which includes a fee for each participating creative enterprise. Our investment includes a part-time fixed term coordinator role from the Pacific arts community, working alongside the Manaaki team and participants.
Manaaki is an online community where small businesses in Aotearoa can network, create content, access helpful resources, and create their own business opportunities. Since March 2020, more than 300,000 New Zealanders have engaged with Manaaki, and they were a semi-finalist in the 2021 Mitre-10 Community of the Year Award.
General Manager Rachel Adams says Manaaki are looking forward to getting started on this initiative.
“We're excited to collaborate with Creative New Zealand to co-create this program that aims to further develop the commercial capability of the talented Pasifika Arts community. Manaaki was formed to be an example of Māori & Pasifika success but also as a vehicle to help others on their own journey. We will always prioritize positive outcomes for Māori and Pasifika.”
Makerita Urale, Senior Manager, Pacific Arts says this learning programme will help build sustainable careers for the Pacific Arts community through creativity and innovation.
“There are many business capability training programmes available, but this pilot has a specific focus on trying to address the specific gaps and needs of Pasifika artists progressing from creating art towards building an enterprise business model.” “This initiative will help to provide Pasifika artists with the tools they need to navigate the vā that often exists between their creative practice, deep connection to culture and community, and practical needs like a sustainable income. We will learn from this pilot and the 10 enterprises taking part, so Creative New Zealand can continue to provide relevant support to develop a powerful Pacific Arts community in Aotearoa, and for the world.”
For more information on this initiative, contact erolia.ifopo@creativenz.govt.nz
For all media enquiries, contact esther.lees@creativenz.govt.nz
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