ManawaTech
ManawaTech is a non-profit tech community organization in Palmerston North, New Zealand, operating a member directory, job board, CV database, and contractor marketplace to connect local Manawatū tech companies with talent, students, and clients through events and partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPalmerston North, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ManawaTech does
ManawaTech (legal entity: Manawatū Tech Collective Incorporated) is a non-profit technology community organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It operates a community platform at manawa.tech and app.manawa.tech that aggregates a member companies directory, a CV database, a contractor marketplace, a regional job board, an event calendar, and a Slack-based professional community. Its mission is to connect Manawatū-region tech companies with local talent, students, and clients, and to retain graduates in the region by surfacing local employers with global reach (e.g., member companies such as Integration Technologies, Beta Solutions, and Idea Developments).
The platform is governed by an elected member board and supported by volunteers. Revenue is generated primarily through tiered annual subscriptions: individual tech professionals pay $175/year (excl. GST), while company memberships start at $350/year for up to three tech employees and scale at $100 per additional FTE, capped at $1,850/year. Student membership is free. Paid events (such as the Mega Meetup) and training partnerships (e.g., Digital Skills Agency) provide secondary revenue. GTM is community-led and event-driven: monthly meetups, TechWeek activations, a podcast, a weekly newsletter, and LinkedIn distribution drive acquisition and retention of member companies and individual professionals.
Strategically, ManawaTech's position rests on its role as the central hub of the Manawatū tech ecosystem. It maintains core partnerships with UCOL and Massey University for student pipelines and ICT scholarships, with The Factory as the regional innovation hub, and with national bodies (NZ Tech, Tech Alliance) for ecosystem coordination. Operational scale remains modest: 1-10 staff, 30+ member companies, and a regionally constrained geographic footprint in the Manawatū region.
ManawaTech firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ManawaTech
- Legal name
- Manawatū Tech Collective Incorporated
- Website
- https://manawa.tech
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ManawaTech is a non-profit tech community organization in Palmerston North, New Zealand, operating a member directory, job board, CV database, and contractor marketplace to connect local Manawatū tech companies with talent, students, and clients through events and partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ManawaTech is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palmerston North
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
ManawaTech business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Membership Subscriptions: Individual tech professionals pay an annual subscription of $175/year (excluding GST). Membership is annual and auto-renews. Benefits include free event access, Slack, mentoring program, CV listing on the Contractors page, LinkedIn and newsletter promotion, and voting rights at AGM.
- Company Membership Subscriptions: Companies pay annual membership based on tech staff headcount: base fee of $350/year for up to 3 employees, $100 per additional FTE tech employee, capped at $1,850/year. Benefits include Slack access, training discounts, CV database access, Summer of Tech access, a detailed listing on the Companies page, logo in newsletters/posters, referral traffic, and story promotion.
- Event Revenue (Paid Events): Some ManawaTech events such as the Mega Meetup are paid events. Individual members receive free access to paid events as a membership benefit. Non-members and companies may pay for event access or training.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Membership - $175/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Company Base Fee (up to 3 people) - $350/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Company - Per Additional Tech Employee - $100/FTE/year |
| Freemium | Annual | Student Membership - Free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
ManawaTech product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ManawaTech operates a non-profit regional technology community platform that connects local tech companies, individual tech professionals, students, and employers in the Manawatū region of New Zealand. Its core offering is a curated member directory of 30+ local tech companies, supported by a contractor directory, CV database, local job board, mentoring programme, monthly meetups and partner events for talent matching and regional tech promotion.
Product overview
ManawaTech is a non-profit tech community platform serving the Manawatū region of New Zealand. Rather than a single software product, it operates as a community hub offering a suite of interconnected services: a member companies directory for finding local tech services, a contractor marketplace for short-term talent, a CV database for job seekers, a regional job board, a mentoring programme for career development, and a Slack-based professional community. These services work together to connect local tech companies with talent and opportunities, supporting career development and building a stronger regional tech ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ManawaTech Community Platform Web-based regional tech community platform (manawa.tech and app.manawa.tech) that connects local Manawatū tech companies, talent, and opportunities through a member directory, job board, CV database, contractor marketplace, and event calendar.
- Member Companies Directory Searchable directory of 30+ Manawatū member tech companies across software development, hardware, web/design, and tech infrastructure; enables businesses and procurement to find local tech service providers.
- Local Job Board Regional job board aggregating tech employment opportunities in the Manawatū region, visible to the local tech community with auto-expiring job listings at 6 weeks.
- CV Database Database where job seekers upload CV profiles and employers search for candidates matching their requirements; access is a key member benefit for hiring managers.
- Contractor Directory Searchable directory of contractors available for short-term tech work, filterable by skills and tools, enabling employers to find local tech talent for temporary positions.
- Mentoring Programme Mentoring programme connecting industry professionals with students and early-career individuals for career guidance and pathway support in the Manawatū tech sector; benefits ManawaTech students and individual members.
- Events and Meetups Programme Community events programme comprising monthly tech meetups, an annual Mega Meetup (paid, free for individual members), and TechWeek activities that connect local tech companies, job seekers, students, and the wider community.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30+ member companies connected through the platform
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ManawaTech
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ManawaTech technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ManawaTech partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Factory (Manawatū Innovation Hub)coreThe Factory is Manawatū's innovation hub. It appears as a logo sponsor on the ManawaTech platform and provides physical hub access and startup support. Aaron Fulton of RadarIQ recommends connecting with The Factory for entrepreneurial support. The Factory logo appears in the Partners/Sponsors section alongside CEDA and UCOL.
- UCOL (Universal College of Learning)coreUCOL is ManawaTech's primary educational partner. UCOL offers ICT scholarships sponsored through ManawaTech. ManawaTech refers students to UCOL for study. UCOL sends interns via two cohorts per year plus regular student projects. UCOL's logo appears in the Partners/Sponsors section. Tiger Fu (ManawaTech story subject) studied/graduated via UCOL.
- CEDA (Central Economic Development Agency)minorCEDA is Manawatū's economic development agency. CEDA's logo appears in the Partners/Sponsors section on the ManawaTech platform, indicating a supporting relationship.
- NZ Tech / Tech AllianceminorManawaTech is part of a broader national tech ecosystem and is connected with NZ Tech and Tech Alliance. These national bodies help bring events and attention to the Manawatū region. ManawaTech contributes its 'mass' to attract big brands and events.
- Massey UniversitycoreMassey University collaborates with ManawaTech on student projects, summer work, internships, and scholarships. The Manawatū AgriFood Digital Lab at Massey works on robotics and 3D printing projects. ManawaTech student leaders (Claire) are Massey students. Massey provides mechatronics and computer science student projects annually.
- Beta Solutions LtdcoreBeta Solutions Engineers Aaron Fulton and Matt van der Werff founded RadarIQ (spun out of Beta Solutions in 2018). Beta Solutions acts as the R&D backer for RadarIQ. Beta Solutions also develops hardware and firmware for client products (e.g., Glowworm LED bike light) and supports the local ecosystem.
- Digital Skills AgencyminorDigital Skills Agency provides training to ManawaTech members at discounted rates. This is mentioned in membership benefits as a partner offering training discounts. Discount on recruitment fees with Digital Skills Agency is also listed as a company member benefit.
- Summer of TechminorManawaTech provides company members access to Summer of Tech for recruiting interns and graduates. Summer of Tech brings hundreds of interns listed and operates year-round, not just in summer.
- Hnry (Contractor Guide Provider)minorManawaTech's contractor page links to Hnry's 'guide to being a contractor' for members considering transitioning to contracting. Hnry is a service provider for contractors referenced on the platform.
- Te Pūkenga (UCOL parent)minorTe Pūkenga (which includes UCOL) has two intern cohorts per year plus regular student projects that ManawaTech helps connect to member companies.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ManawaTech competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Summer of Tech: Summer of Tech is a New Zealand-wide program connecting tech students with internships and graduate roles. ManawaTech integrates Summer of Tech into its company member benefits, positioning it as an adjacent emerging player in the student-talent matching space.
Broad incumbents
- Tech Alliance NZ: Tech Alliance (formerly NZICT Group) is a national industry body for New Zealand's tech and ICT sector. ManawaTech coordinates with Tech Alliance at the regional level, making it a broader incumbent with overlapping mission and shared member companies.
- Institute of IT Professionals NZ (IITP): IITP is the professional body for IT professionals in New Zealand, offering individual memberships, certifications, and events. It serves individual practitioners nationally rather than regional company ecosystems, but it competes for the same individual membership dollars and professional development mindshare.
- NZTech: NZTech is the national industry body representing the New Zealand technology sector. ManawaTech is already connected to NZTech and contributes its regional 'mass' to attract national-level events and brands, positioning NZTech as the broader national incumbent analogue.
Others
- The Factory NZ: The Factory is Manawatū's innovation hub providing physical workspace, startup support, and ecosystem programming. As a ManawaTech partner sharing logo placement and event coordination, it represents an adjacent enabling player in the same regional tech ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
- CEDA (Central Economic Development Agency): CEDA is Manawatū's economic development agency and an existing ManawaTech sponsor/partner. While not an industry association, CEDA's regional economic mandate overlaps with ManawaTech's talent attraction and business visibility mission, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant.
Direct peers
- Canterbury Tech: Canterbury Tech is the regional tech industry association for Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region of New Zealand. It runs a membership-driven model connecting local tech companies, talent, and events — closely paralleling ManawaTech's playbook in Manawatū.
- Innovation Bay: Innovation Bay is a tech and innovation community serving the Western Bay of Plenty (Tauranga) region. It mirrors ManawaTech's regional community-building and member-company engagement model, making it a structurally comparable peer across the same playbook.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ManawaTech social profiles
Digital presenceManawaTech financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ManawaTech leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ManawaTech funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ManawaTech M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ManawaTech
What does ManawaTech do?
ManawaTech operates a non-profit regional technology community platform that connects local tech companies, individual tech professionals, students, and employers in the Manawatū region of New Zealand. Its core offering is a curated member directory of 30+ local tech companies, supported by a contractor directory, CV database, local job board, mentoring programme, monthly meetups and partner events for talent matching and regional tech promotion.
Is ManawaTech a public or private company?
ManawaTech is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ManawaTech founded?
ManawaTech was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ManawaTech based?
ManawaTech is headquartered in Palmerston North, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does ManawaTech make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are company Membership Subscriptions and event Revenue (Paid Events).
Who are ManawaTech's main competitors?
Summer of Tech is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Tech Alliance NZ, Institute of IT Professionals NZ (IITP) and NZTech. Others are The Factory NZ and CEDA (Central Economic Development Agency). Direct peers are Canterbury Tech and Innovation Bay.
Does ManawaTech have an API?
No public API is recorded for ManawaTech.