Te Waka Project 2023 – Bringing the horizon closer to us

Credit: Tapuwae Roa

“The place of First Nations people in business is showing the rest of the colonial world that we don’t need to have capitalism at the forefront.”

In 2023, we were honoured to be involved in the Te Waka Project, a digital storytelling campaign created in collaboration with the ‘Business for Good’ network of Australia and Aotearoa indigenous and First Nations social entrepreneurs.

Starting in Aotearoa in 2017, Te Waka has travelled to Scotland, Ethiopia, Canada and Australia ahead of last year’s Social Enterprise World Forum in Amsterdam. Along the haerenga, Te Waka has served as a talking point to collect and amplify the stories of the Business for Good movement and has provided an opportunity to share kōrero of indigenous stories and perspectives.

At the heart of the project, is the concept of Indigenomics; a First Nation lens to approaching the modern economy. The project hopes to feed a rich narrative experience highlighting the vibrancy, impact and values by which Australian indigenous and non-indigenous social enterprises will seed the transformation of the broader economy.

“It’s not even enough to simply have a Waka. You have to have the dedication and the fearlessness to get in there and sail to those new horizons you don’t see yet.”

Ka nui te mihi ki a Mikey Leung and the team at Digital Storytellers for your mahi on this video and for featuring our kōrero within your project.