Venture Taranaki Trust

What Venture Taranaki Trust does

Venture Taranaki Trust is the regional development agency and designated Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) for Taranaki, New Zealand, operating as a charitable trust and Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) owned by New Plymouth District Council with supplementary funding from South Taranaki and Stratford District Councils. Founded in 1998, the organisation employs approximately 62 people across a New Plymouth headquarters and three i-SITE Visitor Centres in New Plymouth, Stratford, and Hāwera, and operates two interconnected digital platforms — taranaki.co.nz for visitor tourism promotion and venture.org.nz for business and investment support — alongside tools including an Itinerary Builder, Discovery Map, and Live + Work job portal integrated with Trade Me Jobs. Its core programmes span the Branching Out food-and-fibre diversification initiative (kiwifruit, hemp fibre, medicinal plants, gin botanicals, avocados, hops, sheep dairy, grains), the PowerUp entrepreneurship accelerator, the Taranaki Alliance for manufacturing and engineering, the Taranaki Applied Innovation Centre, and a long-running Massey University research partnership since 2012; energy transition work covers hydrogen, offshore wind, biofuels, and rural electrification.

The trust delivers all services free of charge to end-users (tourism operators, hospitality businesses, investors, prospective residents, job seekers), with revenue derived entirely from council appropriations and co-funded grants rather than commercial fees. Distribution is anchored by its statutory RTO designation, its Tourism New Zealand partnership (which surfaces Taranaki listings on a national platform receiving more than 2.5 million monthly visits), and the i-SITE physical network. GTM combines enterprise field sales to local businesses with event-driven activations including the annual Taranaki Tourism Summit, visiting media hosting, and trade show attendance.

The business model is a leveraged public-sector funding structure with no disclosed revenue figure and no commercial monetisation path for end-users. Risks are concentrated on the funder side: operations depend on the political and budgetary priorities of three district councils, while the end-user base is highly diversified. Strategic emphasis over recent years has shifted toward food-and-fibre sector development, energy transition, defence-adjacent opportunities, and EU investment partnerships, executed through deep iwi, council, university, and private-sector alliances.

Name

Venture Taranaki Trust

Legal name

Venture Taranaki Trust

Website

https://taranaki.info

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Venture Taranaki Trust is the regional development agency and designated Regional Tourism Organisation for Taranaki, New Zealand. It operates as a Council Controlled Organisation delivering free business support, tourism promotion, food-and-fibre diversification, and energy-transition programmes across three districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Development Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage & Indigenous-Led Visitor Services (Tribal Tours, Heritage Sites, Co-management) (THAAAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community-Based & Indigenous-Led Ecotourism (THAAAEAH)

Keywords

• Regional development
• Tourism promotion
• Business support services
• Investment facilitation
• Economic development

Headquarters

HQ city

New Plymouth

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Council Funding: Core funding from New Plymouth District Council (NPDC). Venture Taranaki operates a leveraged funding model with NPDC funding at its core.
2. Partner Council Funding: Supplementary regional development funding from South Taranaki District Council and Stratford District Council for delivery of regional development services.
3. Council Controlled Organisation: Incorporated as a charitable trust and owned by New Plymouth District Council, operating as a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Venture Taranaki Trust is the regional development agency and designated Regional Tourism Office for Taranaki, New Zealand. It delivers tourism promotion (i-SITE Visitor Centres, visitor publications, itinerary tools), enterprise and entrepreneurship support (PowerUp accelerator, business mentoring, capability training), sector development across energy, food and fibre, manufacturing, and visitor sectors (including the Branching Out agricultural diversification program), and investment facilitation for the Taranaki region. Services are provided free to businesses, visitors, and the community, funded primarily through council contributions.

Product overview

Venture Taranaki Trust operates a regional development agency website serving as both a tourism promotion platform and a business development hub for Taranaki, New Zealand. The core platform consists of two interconnected websites: taranaki.co.nz (tourism promotion) and venture.org.nz (business and investment support). The tourism offering centers on the Discovery Map, Itinerary Builder, and i-SITE Visitor Centres across New Plymouth, Stratford, and South Taranaki, supported by downloadable visitor publications and the Taranaki Maunga as a central attraction. The enterprise arm provides PowerUp accelerator programs, business mentoring, research and development grants, and the Taranaki Alliance for manufacturing and engineering sectors. The Branching Out program drives food and fibre diversification across hemp fibre (with pilot processing facility), medicinal plants, gin botanicals, hops, kiwifruit, sheep dairy, avocados, and grains. Science and research capabilities are anchored by the Massey University partnership and Taranaki Applied Innovation Centre. Regional strategic initiatives include the Tapuae Roa Growth Plan and energy sector development spanning hydrogen, offshore wind, and renewables. The organization functions as a Council Controlled Organisation owned by New Plymouth District Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enterprise Support Services Advisory and capability-building services providing business mentoring, investment readiness support, capability training, and one-on-one consultations to local tourism, hospitality, and small-to-medium enterprises.
• PowerUp Startup and entrepreneurship accelerator program supporting Taranaki founders with structured programming, podcasts, mentorship, and networking to grow early-stage businesses.
• Branching Out Sector development program validating commercial diversification opportunities in Taranaki through field trials, scientific testing, market engagement, and blueprints across medicinal plants, hemp fibre (including hemp construction), hops, kiwifruit, sheep dairy, avocados, grains, legumes, trees, and gin botanicals. Includes a pilot-scale hemp fibre processing unit (operational early 2026) and commercial-scale kiwifruit plantings.
• Business Research and Development Grants Grant co-funding program in partnership with government agencies (including Callaghan Innovation) offering R&D Career Grants, R&D Experience Grants, and R&D Project Grants to innovative Taranaki businesses.
• i-SITE Visitor Centres Three physical visitor information centres in New Plymouth (Puke Ariki), Stratford, and Hāwera (South Taranaki) providing free travel advice, tour and activity bookings, accommodation bookings, maps, brochures, and WiFi. Stratford centre serves as gateway to Forgotten World Highway.
• Visitor Publications (Brochures) Free downloadable and printable visitor guides covering Parks and Gardens, Museums and Galleries, A Walker's Guide, Forgotten World Highway Touring Route, and Surf Highway 45, with QR code-enabled digital brochures transitioning from printed materials.
• Itinerary Builder Online trip planning tool that allows visitors to build customised Taranaki itineraries by selecting attractions, activities, and accommodations.
• Discovery Map

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, primary and minor.

• Massey UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership since 2012 helping Taranaki businesses access university expertise, knowledge, and innovation. Includes research collaboration, student internships, and applied projects. A Massey staff member is based in the Venture Taranaki office.
• New Plymouth District Council (NPDC)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture Taranaki is owned by New Plymouth District Council and operates as a Council Controlled Organisation. NPDC provides core funding as part of a leveraged funding model. The organization delivers regional development services for NPDC.
• South Taranaki District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver regional development services around the Maunga (mountain) in South Taranaki district.
• Stratford District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver regional development services around the Maunga in Stratford district.
• Callaghan InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partnership to support innovative Taranaki businesses through co-funding for research and development activity. Includes R&D Career Grants, R&D Experience Grants, and R&D Project Grants.
• Taranaki AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative ecosystem bringing together heavy industrial, engineering, manufacturing, electrical, logistics and technology capability. Positions Taranaki as a unified delivery partner for significant opportunities. Governed by an Industry Advisory Group with initial operational support from Venture Taranaki.
• Latent (Defence and Investment)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic relations partner for global partnerships and defence opportunities. Contact: Josh Wineera (Head of Global Partnerships and Strategic Relations) and Bryan Dorn (Head of Defence and Investment).
• Energy Sector PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with energy sector companies and organizations supporting Taranaki's transition to low-emissions economy including hydrogen, wind, biofuel, solar and renewables initiatives.
• HunterNetminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrans-Tasman industry cooperation agreement strengthening cross-border industry ties between Taranaki and Australian manufacturing and engineering firms.
• SupacatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU partnership for industry cooperation, with Supacat being a defence and specialized vehicles company.
• ZespricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's largest kiwifruit marketer, working with Venture Taranaki to explore kiwifruit development in Taranaki. Zespri has identified 7,000 additional hectares needed by 2030.
• Apata GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist kiwifruit service provider actively looking for opportunities in South Taranaki. Provides harvest, pack, store services and technical support for growers.
• Trevelyans (Packhouse)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAvocado packhouse and coolstore operation used by Taranaki growers for post-harvest handling.
• Riversun (Nursery)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAvocado wholesale nursery, one of the big players that must be used to order certain avocado varieties including Green Skin Eclipse.
• BeGin Distilling (Juno Gin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create a regionally crafted gin featuring locally grown angelica, demonstrating the viability of cultivating high-quality gin botanicals in Taranaki.
• HempCentral LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for hemp construction education and training. Delivered hemp construction courses in Wānaka and Taranaki with hands-on training from Australian Hemp Masonry Company.
• Massey University and Canterbury UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnerships for hemp fibre panel product development, testing Hempboard prototypes for performance, durability, and compliance with Australia/New Zealand building codes.
• Government Agencies (Various)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with various government agencies to support innovative Taranaki businesses through co-funding for research and development activity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Destination Queenstown: Regional tourism organization for Queenstown Lakes District in New Zealand. Runs destination marketing, i-SITE services, and visitor economy initiatives - comparable scale and function as a NZ regional DMO.
• Tourism Bay of Plenty: Regional tourism organization for the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. Promotes tourism, manages i-SITE visitor centres, and supports the visitor economy - comparable regional DMO scope to Venture Taranaki.
• Auckland Unlimited: Auckland Council's CCO responsible for cultural, tourism, and economic development for the Auckland region (formerly ATEED). Comparable in function as a regional economic development agency with destination marketing and business support programs.
• WellingtonNZ: Wellington region's council-controlled organization (CCO) responsible for tourism promotion, economic development, and major events. Operates Wellington i-SITE and runs destination marketing campaigns - functionally similar to Venture Taranaki Trust.
• Hawke's Bay Tourism: Regional tourism organization for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand. Promotes tourism including wine, food, and cultural experiences - comparable regional DMO with visitor services mandate similar to Venture Taranaki.
• ChristchurchNZ: Regional development agency and destination marketing organization for Christchurch, New Zealand. Operates i-SITE visitor centres, promotes tourism, and supports economic development across multiple sectors in the Canterbury region - directly comparable to Venture Taranaki's regional development mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Tourism New Zealand: National tourism organization for New Zealand. Acts as a broader incumbent in the destination marketing space, partnering with regional organizations like Venture Taranaki to promote NZ internationally and domestically.
• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE): New Zealand government's national economic development agency. Broader incumbent in economic development space with national mandate, complementary to regional development agencies like Venture Taranaki.
• Tourism Industry Aotearoa: National tourism industry body representing the New Zealand tourism sector. Industry-level organization that works alongside regional tourism organizations including Venture Taranaki.

Others

• Callaghan Innovation: New Zealand government's innovation agency, partnering with Venture Taranaki to co-fund R&D activity for innovative Taranaki businesses. Ecosystem participant and partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/venture-taranaki-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Venture Taranaki Trust