The PowerUp Podcast from Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki is back with the release of the first three episodes in the latest six-part series that celebrates trailblazing Taranaki entrepreneurs and innovators who are leaving their mark on the world.
Season four promises a diverse line-up of driven founders who are achieving amazing things across a variety of sectors – from vibrant festivals, direct-to-consumer food production, Rongoā Māori, and innovative tech and business solutions.
Hosted again by long-time business advocate David Downs, each episode lifts the curtain on the guests’ unique journey, as they tell honest stories about their wins, challenges, inspiration, and breakthroughs, all while living the famous maunga-to-moana Taranaki lifestyle.
As the Regional Development Agency, Venture Taranaki helps aspiring entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground, and the PowerUp Podcast provides a library of real-life fascinating case studies that are filled with useful lessons for budding businesspeople to learn from.
When Rachel Church first moved to Taranaki, she noticed how the thriving food and hospitality sector was a well-kept secret. Before long, it was her mission to spread the word by creating an annual festival that celebrated local produce and the amazing things Taranaki people were doing with it.
And not long after that, that annual festival was so popular it became a quarterly event. Feastival is now a staple on the Taranaki event calendar, showcasing the best of Taranaki hospitality in unique collaborations.
Rachel talks through how she turned her idea into reality, transforming Feastival over the years to become bigger and better.
This is hugely valuable listening for anyone wanting to get an event or new business off the ground, with real-life lessons packed throughout the journey, including how she got businesses on board, secured funding, and navigated a Covid-sized hurdle along the way.
Green Meadows Beef started as a two-person family business in a small pocket of rural Taranaki, and 11 years on they’ve sold more than a million packs of sausages, burgers and steaks all over the world.
The business started with a discussion over the family dining table and paved the way with its pioneering direct-to-consumer model that’s since become mainstream.
General Manager Nick Carey gave up a law career he enjoyed to lead the business, and talks through the various stages of growth he’s helped to oversee. He touches on the value of being a New Zealand business in the international meat market, the keys to its early success, the booming Covid years, and the power of good PR, along with some clever business lessons in covering different market segments.
Mihi’s Place is a Rongoā Māori healing clinic that combines traditional Māori healing and wellness practices with a contemporary science-based approach. Founder, Mihi Henry-Hatcher’s journey to becoming a business owner is remarkable.
She talks about the family intervention that changed her life, her discovery of holistic Māori healing, and diversifying into retail to become the only Māori-owned store in a New Zealand airport.
Mihi is an internationally recognised practitioner who’s been on a huge cultural learning curve since dedicating her life to healing people. She was the first Māori woman and the second woman in New Zealand to receive a degree in therapeutic modalities. This episode also includes a glossary of common words and phrases in te reo Māori as bonus learning. Ka pai!
The PowerUp Podcast is released every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and wherever you go to get your podcasts.
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For more information on PowerUp, visit venture.org.nz
