What Tāiki e! Impact House does

Tāiki e! Impact House is a community-led impact hub founded in 2018 and headquartered at 7 Peel St, Treble Court, Gisborne, in the Tairāwhiti region of New Zealand. The organization operates as a collaborative physical workspace and event venue where social entrepreneurs, creatives, impact investors, community developers, and whānau (family networks) gather to address social and environmental challenges through entrepreneurship. It runs a portfolio of interconnected programs including Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti (an annual 54-hour Techstars-licensed entrepreneurial event with six editions and 250+ participants), Next Gen (a weekly youth programme for rangatahi aged 14-25), PikUp (a food rescue initiative operating 13 pātaka kai community pantries and saving 9 tonnes of kai), Next Gen Escapes (a youth-operated escape room), Lightning Talks, Lightbulb sessions, Unconference Tairāwhiti, a Tech Bootcamp in partnership with Dev Academy, the Tāiki e! Store (merchandise), the Tāiki e! Podcast, and Haututu Hacklab (a maker space for 3D printing, laser cutting, and fabrication).

The organization's business model is community-sustained rather than commercial. Operating expenses including rent are funded through koha — the Māori custom of voluntary contribution — supplemented by merchandise sales, escape room fees, event participation charges, and sponsorship from local iwi and corporate partners (Te Runanga o Ngāti Porou, Futureverse, Tairāwhiti Contractors, Whangara Farms, Māori Women's Development Inc., and others). The organization is described as self-funded with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Tāiki e! has built international credibility through keynote representation at the Social Enterprise World Forum 2022 in Brisbane and ongoing participation in the Global Entrepreneurship Network, while maintaining a horizontal segmentation approach across social entrepreneurs, rangatahi, creatives/whānau, and impact investors in Tairāwhiti.

Name

Tāiki e! Impact House

Legal name

Tāiki e! Impact House

Website

https://taikie.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tāiki e! Impact House is a community-led collaborative hub in Gisborne, New Zealand, operating a physical workspace and portfolio of social enterprise programs — including Startup Weekend, Next Gen youth entrepreneurship, PikUp food rescue, and an escape room — serving changemakers, rangatahi, creatives, and whānau across Tairāwhiti under a koha (Māori voluntary contribution) model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gisborne

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Koha (community contributions): The running of Tāiki e! operates under the Māori custom of koha — a voluntary community contribution system — to pay rent, keep the lights on, and fund operations. This is a community-sustaining rather than profit-generating model.
2. Tāiki e! Store merchandise sales: The Tāiki e! Store is a dedicated retail space selling merchandise (hoodies, apparel) designed by local youth and artists, helping to grow the Aroha Economy and generate revenue.
3. Next Gen Escapes escape room: Tairāwhiti's first escape room is operated by the Next Gen youth team. It provides entertainment revenue and serves as a live business model for rangatahi to learn entrepreneurship.
4. Event participation fees and sponsorships: Revenue from Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti event fees and corporate sponsors (Te Runanga o Ngāti Porou, Futureverse, Tairāwhiti Contractors, Whangara Farms, Māori Women's Development Inc, Kaiwhakanau, Aatea, Kanapu, Campion College, Sunshine Brewery, Markisa Studios).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tāiki e! Impact House operates a multi-program community ecosystem centered on a physical whare in Gisborne, delivering co-working space, youth and adult entrepreneurship programs (Next Gen, Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti, Tech Bootcamp), a community hacklab, podcasts, community food rescue (PikUp), Lightning Talks and an annual Unconference, run on a koha / aroha-economy model with merchandise and sponsor revenue.

Product overview

Tāiki e! Impact House is a physical co-working and community impact hub (not a software platform) offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services. The core offering is the physical collaborative workspace at 7 Peel St, Treble Court, Gisborne. Around this hub, Tāiki e! runs multiple programs: Lightbulb (entrepreneur education), Lightning Talks (community presentations), PikUp (food rescue), Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti (entrepreneurial events), Tech Bootcamp and Internships (web development training), Next Gen (youth entrepreneurship), Unconference Tairāwhiti (participant-driven conferences), Community Karakia and Waiata (cultural gatherings), plus Next Gen Escapes (escape room business), Tāiki e! Podcast (media), Tāiki e! Store (merchandise), and Haututu Hacklab (maker space). These programs collectively support social entrepreneurship, youth development, and community impact in Tairāwhiti.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tāiki e! Next Gen: Youth entrepreneurship program for 14-25 year olds building leadership capability and opportunities
• Haututu Hacklab
• PikUp
• Next Gen Escapes
• Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti
• Lightbulb
• Lightning Talks
• Tech Bootcamp and Internships
• Unconference Tairāwhiti
• Tāiki e! Podcast
• Tāiki e! Store

Products and services

• Co-working Space & Impact House Physical community hub in Gisborne offering co-working space, event venues, café, retail, TV studio and hacklab under one whare — open to social entrepreneurs, changemakers, and Tairāwhiti community members on a koha / voluntary-contribution model.
• Tāiki e! Next Gen Youth Program Recurring cohort program for rangatahi (youth 14-25) in Tairāwhiti covering entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation; expansion of Lightning Lab NextGen into New Zealand, delivered at the impact house.
• Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti 54-hour weekend intensive for aspiring founders to validate ideas, form teams, and pitch; Techstars Startup Weekend format operated under the impact house. Has produced 250+ alumni across multiple annual editions.
• Next Gen Escapes Branded escape-room experience developed as part of the Next Gen youth programming.
• PikUp Community Food Rescue Community initiative that redistributes surplus food to households and whānau in Tairāwhiti as part of the impact house's community programs.
• Tech Bootcamp and Internships Software-development training and internship pipeline run in partnership with Dev Academy for Tairāwhiti participants seeking tech careers.
• Haututu Hacklab Maker space equipped with fabrication tools (e.g., 3D printer, laser cutter) where Tairāwhiti makers, entrepreneurs and youth can build prototypes and run hackathons.
• Lightning Talks Recurring community talks series hosted at the impact house for changemakers, founders and community members.
• Lightbulb Community Education Program Community education initiative offering accessible learning sessions to Tairāwhiti residents at the impact house.
• Unconference Tairāwhiti Annual participant-driven community conference hosted at Tāiki e! Impact House for social entrepreneurs, changemakers and partners.
• Tāiki e! Podcast Podcast produced in-house at the impact house's TV studio, sharing stories of Tairāwhiti social entrepreneurs, changemakers and community impact.
• Tāiki e! Store Branded merchandise retail line sold at the impact house and online, contributing revenue alongside koha and sponsor income.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ participants engaged in Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti since 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Dev AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDev Academy is a key technology training partner. Tāiki e! partners with Dev Academy to offer places in a 15-week full-stack web developer training course for Tairāwhiti residents. Graduates are then supported into paid internships or employment with partner organizations.
• ARUPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARUP is an international engineering consultancy that takes Dev Academy graduates from Tāiki e! as paid interns. ARUP mentors also supported Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti 2024 as 'ninja mentors' walking alongside teams.
• Snapper ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnapper Services, a Wellington-based fintech firm specializing in small-value contactless smart card payments, hired a Dev Academy graduate from Tāiki e! as a year-long paid software developer intern working on databases and data delivery.
• Toro StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToro Studios is a creative studio that takes Dev Academy graduates from Tāiki e! as interns or employees, providing pathways for local talent into the creative technology sector.
• Techstars (Startup Weekend Global)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTāiki e! facilitates Techstars Startup Weekend events in Tairāwhiti under the global Techstars Startup Weekend framework. Techstars provides the program structure, brand, and global network, while Tāiki e! leads local delivery.
• Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEN initiates Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), a global event series held in ~165 countries with ~35,000 events annually. Tāiki e! has been the Tairāwhiti host for GEW since 2020, organizing 15 events and reaching 250–300 participants in 2023.
• Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEWF is a global social impact forum bringing together community leaders from around the world. Tāiki e! attended SEWF 2022 in Brisbane (Australia), where two of their rangatahi were keynote speakers. SEWF affirmed Tāiki e!'s unique approach to impact built on indigenous philosophies.
• Haututu HacklabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaututu Hacklab is Tairāwhiti's community maker space located in Treble Court alongside Tāiki e!. It provides 3D printing, laser cutting, CAD design, circuit board fabrication, and podcasting equipment. It is a sister organization within the Tāiki e! ecosystem.
• PikUpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPikUp is a community food rescue initiative born from a rangatahi workshop at Tāiki e!. It harvests surplus fruit and vegetables from backyards and redistributes it through 13 pātaka kai (community food pantries). Tāiki e! provides incubation and support.
• Next Gen EscapescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext Gen Escapes is Tairāwhiti's first escape room, powered by Tāiki e! Next Gen. It serves as a live business model for rangatahi entrepreneurs and generates revenue for the youth team.
• Startup Weekend TairāwhitiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup Weekend Tairāwhiti is Tāiki e!'s flagship annual 54-hour entrepreneurial event, now in its 6th edition (2024). It has engaged 250+ participants across the region and is co-organized with community partners and sponsors.
• Unconference TairāwhitiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnconference Tairāwhiti is an annual event held during Matariki, led entirely by participants who set the agenda on the day. The inaugural event in 2022 drew 40+ participants across 24 sessions. It is one of Tāiki e!'s signature community dialogue initiatives.
• Tāiki e! Next GenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTāiki e! Next Gen is the organization's flagship youth programme for rangatahi aged 14–25. It meets weekly at the whare to build leadership capability, create youth-led initiatives, and learn entrepreneurial skills. It is the feeder and backbone of youth engagement.
• Tāiki e! PodcastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn organic, evolving podcast initiative where changemakers in Tairāwhiti share their stories. Hosted by Tāiki e! and available on Spotify Podcasters, it amplifies local voices and builds the aroha economy narrative.
• Trust TairāwhiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust Tairāwhiti partnered with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and local organizations (Ask Alice, Tai Tech, Tolaga Bay Innovation) to deliver digital skills workshops for small businesses across Tairāwhiti, using the Government-backed Digital Boost platform.
• Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBIE partnered with Trust Tairāwhiti and local organizations to fund and support digital skills workshops for small businesses across the Tairāwhiti rohe (region), as part of a broader digital inclusion effort.
• Ask AliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsk Alice is a local business owned by Alice Kibble (Tāiki e! Next Gen member) that delivers digital skills workshops in partnership with Trust Tairāwhiti and MBIE.
• Tai TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTai Tech is a local technology organization that partnered with Trust Tairāwhiti and MBIE to deliver digital skills workshops for small businesses in Tairāwhiti.
• Tolaga Bay InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTolaga Bay Innovation is a local innovation organization that partnered with Trust Tairāwhiti and MBIE to deliver digital skills workshops for small businesses in Tairāwhiti.
• Gisborne District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Gisborne District Council supports Tāiki e! initiatives including the Refill Challenge, registering local refill sites and subsidizing 25 local businesses to join the campaign. The council is a key local government partner for community and environmental initiatives.
• YMCA (Gisborne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe YMCA in Gisborne collaborated with Tāiki e! and the Gisborne District Council on the Refill Challenge initiative to reduce single-use plastic water bottles.
• Ministry of Social Development (MSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSD funded a project in Tairāwhiti (one of two nationally) to pilot ways to help men talk about difficult topics, working with Tauawhi Men's Centre and Tāiki e! (Cain Kerehoma and Sam Aberahama) to develop a Community-led Prevention initiative.
• Tauawhi Men's CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTauawhi Men's Centre has 14+ years of experience supporting men in Tairāwhiti. It is collaborating with Tāiki e! (Cain Kerehoma) and former Police Commander Sam Aberahama to develop a community-led prevention initiative addressing men's wellbeing.
• Te Runanga o Ngāti PoroucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTe Runanga o Ngāti Porou is a key sponsor of Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti, supporting the annual entrepreneurial event as part of their commitment to Māori development and innovation in the Tairāwhiti region.
• FutureverseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFutureverse is a sponsor of Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti, contributing to the funding of the annual entrepreneurial event.
• Māori Women's Development Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori Women's Development Inc. is a sponsor of Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti, supporting rangatahi and community entrepreneurship.
• SharesiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharesies Head Office in Wellington hosted a networking event during Tāiki e!'s roadshow to Auckland and Wellington, demonstrating cross-organizational community support.
• Groove Bar (Auckland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroove Bar, owned by Tairāwhiti entrepreneur Bailey Mackey in Auckland, hosted a networking event during Tāiki e!'s roadshow, demonstrating the broader whānau network outside the region.
• Haututu HacklabcoreTechnology or IntegrationHaututu Hacklab is a community maker/hacklab space co-located with Tāiki e! in Treble Court, Gisborne. It provides technical facilities (3D printing, laser cutting, CAD, electronics) that support Tāiki e!'s community, youth, and entrepreneurial programmes.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: A global network of impact-focused coworking and community hubs operating in over 100 cities. Directly comparable to Tāiki e! as a community-driven hub for social entrepreneurs and changemakers, though operating at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• Centre for Social Innovation: A Toronto-based community hub and coworking space supporting social innovators, nonprofits, and changemakers. Directly comparable to Tāiki e! as a physical hub fostering cross-sector collaboration for social impact, though operating at much larger scale.
• Enspiral: A New Zealand-based collaborative network and cooperative of entrepreneurs and changemakers. Comparable to Tāiki e! in its community-led, cooperative model and New Zealand context, with shared values around collective impact and shared resources.

Others

• Ashoka: A global organization supporting leading social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows) with funding, networks, and convening. Comparable to Tāiki e! in mission—supporting changemakers tackling social challenges—but operates as a fellowship/grantmaker rather than a community hub.
• SOCAP (Social Capital Markets): A global conference and network convening investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers around social enterprise and impact investing. Comparable to Tāiki e! in ecosystem-building and convening function, though focused on capital markets rather than community programming.

Regional players

• The Loom: A Wellington-based coworking and community space with a focus on impact and sustainability. Comparable to Tāiki e! as a physical coworking hub in New Zealand serving purpose-driven entrepreneurs, though in a larger urban market.
• New Zealand Social Enterprise Forum: A New Zealand sector body representing and supporting social enterprises. Comparable to Tāiki e! as a New Zealand-focused social enterprise ecosystem actor, though operating as an advocacy/representative body rather than a community hub.
• Hui E! Community Trust: A Māori community trust supporting Māori development in the Tairāwhiti region. Comparable to Tāiki e! in regional focus and Māori cultural grounding, though operating as a grantmaking trust rather than a community hub and incubator.
• Ākina Foundation: A New Zealand social enterprise support organization that helps purpose-driven businesses grow. Comparable to Tāiki e! in mission (supporting social enterprises) and regional focus, though Ākina operates more as a capacity-building and funding intermediary than a physical community hub.

Emerging players

• Astia: A global nonprofit community supporting women entrepreneurs and inclusive innovation. Comparable to Tāiki e! in fostering an entrepreneur community with shared values, though Astia focuses specifically on women founders and operates globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/taikie.nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/t%C4%81iki-e-impact-house
• Instagraminstagram.com/taikieimpacthouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tāiki e! Impact House