Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz

What Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz does

Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz is a privately-held New Zealand company (NZ company number 9429046321800) headquartered in Gisborne that designs and commercialises the Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement framework — a strengths-based, culturally centred circular model grounded in the Māori creation story, ngā Atua Māori archetypes, narrative, colour, and metaphor. The framework integrates Kaupapa Māori principles and reference to neuroscience of emotional regulation to support positive behaviour change, self-awareness, and wellbeing, and is delivered through a 10-module self-directed online course, blended and facilitated online training, 2-day in-person (kanohi-ki-te-kanohi) training, and a 6-18 month organisation-wide implementation programme with Mana Whenua engagement, staff training, site visits, and an annual Hui ā Tau practitioner gathering. The e-learning platform is a LearnWorlds-powered site, and trained practitioners gain access to a subscription Community of Practice with resources, case studies, a practitioner blog, and a discussion board.

The company serves three primary verticals across Aotearoa/New Zealand: education (schools, kura, early childhood education, kōhanga reo, alternative education); social services and health (social workers, psychologists, counsellors, corrections staff, probation officers, youth justice, FASD specialists); and government agencies. Named customers include Oranga Tamariki, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Education, Te Whatu Ora, Barnardos Aotearoa, Odyssey House, Koru Specialist Services, Family Works, Gisborne Rape Crisis, and 85+ schools, with cumulative reach of 500+ social services and health professionals. The 2021 Ministry of Education-commissioned evaluation by AATEA Solutions validated the model as an effective kaupapa Māori behaviour management programme, and SELO panel accreditation supports ECE training funding eligibility.

Revenue is generated through training services (self-directed $500+GST per person), 6-18 month enterprise organisation-wide implementation engagements with sustained professional development, and recurring Community of Practice membership subscriptions. Pricing for individual seats is publicly disclosed; enterprise and blended training prices are quoted on application. The go-to-market combines long-cycle enterprise field sales into government and large NGOs, product-led growth via the self-directed online course, and event-driven demand generation through NATINA 2025, WIPCE 2025, and the annual Hui ā Tau. The team is small (approximately 5 FTE per firmographics, with about 9 named personnel including co-founders Susan Ngawati-Osborne (CEO) and Nigel Marshall (Director), Board Chair Richard Brooking, Head of Operations Julie Corker, and a roster of facilitators). No external funding, M&A, or public listing is disclosed.

Name

Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz

Legal name

Ako Solutionz

Website

https://tearawhakamana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz is a privately-held New Zealand company that delivers the Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement framework — a Kaupapa Māori strengths-based circular model for positive behaviour change — via training, organisation-wide implementation, and a practitioner Community of Practice, serving schools, social services, health providers, and government agencies across Aotearoa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gisborne

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Services: Revenue from providing Te Ara Whakamana training including self-directed online training ($500+GST per person), blended online training with facilitated guidance, 2-day facilitated online training, and 2-day face-to-face training.
2. Organisation-Wide Implementation Support: 6-18 month implementation and embedding approach for schools, centres, agencies and organisations with ongoing guidance, support sessions, site visits, and sustained professional development.
3. Community of Practice Membership: Exclusive membership space for trained Te Ara Whakamana practitioners providing access to resources, videos, case studies, practitioner blog, Hui presentations, and discussion board.
4. E-learning Platform Access: Online training platform accessible at elearning.tearawhakamana.com powered by LearnWorlds, with user accounts, course completion certificates, and downloadable resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement is a circular, culturally centred strengths-based framework built on the Māori creation story, ngā Atua Māori and Kaupapa Māori principles, designed to support positive behaviour change and wellbeing. The company delivers this framework through professional training programmes (self-directed online, blended, facilitated online, and face-to-face) and multi-year implementation support to schools, early childhood centres, social services and health organisations across New Zealand.

Product overview

Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement is a single, unified product — a culturally centred, strengths-based circular framework built on the Māori creation story — supported by multiple delivery formats and supplementary resources. The core offering is the Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement framework itself, which is delivered through four training formats: Self-Directed Online Training (a 10-module e-learning course hosted on elearning.tearawhakamana.com), Blended Online Self-Directed Training (with facilitated guidance), 2-day Facilitated Online Training, and 2-day Kanohi-ki-te-Kanohi/face-to-face Training. All training formats provide access to the Te Ara Whakamana Manual, downloadable resources, and — for trained practitioners — the Community of Practice membership site. Implementation programmes for schools, early childhood centres, and social services/health organisations follow a structured 6–18 month approach combining foundation training, centre/school visits, whānau training, and ongoing online support, culminating in access to the annual Hui ā Tau and Mana Camp. The model is used across Education (schools, kura, ECE, alternative education), Social Services, and Health sectors throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement Framework A circular framework using the Māori creation story, colour, imagery, narrative, and cultural metaphors to connect individuals to their Mana, their sources of strength, and their world. Provides a culturally centred, strengths-based approach to wellbeing and positive behaviour change for use in education, social services, and health settings.
• Te Ara Whakamana Self-Directed Online Training A 10-module online course delivering full training in Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement. Includes direct video from co-creators Susan Ngawati-Osborne and Nigel Marshall, key Māori concepts, neuroscience alignment, practitioner perspectives, case studies, downloadable resources, the Te Ara Whakamana Manual, and a course completion certificate. Priced at $500+GST per person.
• Te Ara Whakamana in Education Training Programme A transformational tool for schools, kura, and alternative education settings, supporting positive behaviour through self-awareness, self-regulation, and development of social and emotional literacy, with sector-specific facilitation and implementation support.
• Te Ara Whakamana in Early Childhood Education Training Programme Training packages for Early Childhood Education centres and Kōhanga Reo, delivered via self-directed online modules with centre-wide facilitation and support, designed to help parents, caregivers, and whānau actively acknowledge and uphold the mana of tamariki/children.
• Te Ara Whakamana in Social Services & Health Training Programme A culturally responsive professional learning and development programme tailored for social service and health professionals — including social workers, psychologists, corrections workers, probation officers, and health professionals — designed to foster transformational change through the Mana Enhancement framework, with 6–18 month organisation-wide implementation support.
• Te Ara Whakamana Community of Practice Membership An exclusive members-only online space for trained Te Ara Whakamana practitioners, providing access to resources, videos, case studies, a practitioner blog, Hui ā Tau presentations, a discussion board, and links to pūrākau, creation stories, karakia, waiata, and Māori games.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student hauora and wellbeing went through the roof in terms of engagement, student achievement levels as well as attendance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sparklers: New Zealand SEL teaching resources and wellbeing tools for schools, with teacher training and classroom resources. Comparable as a NZ SEL training provider operating in the same schools-and-educators buying segment.
• Ihi Research: New Zealand Māori health and social research organisation. Directly comparable given shared kaupapa Māori methodology, NZ focus, and overlap with the social services and health client segments Te Ara Whakamana serves (Olivia Martin previously worked there).
• Te Pou: New Zealand workforce development organisation for mental health, addiction, and social service sectors. Comparable as a NZ provider of training, resources, and capability-building to the same social services and health professional segments.
• CORE Education: New Zealand education professional development and research organisation offering training and capability-building programmes to schools and educators. Highly comparable as a NZ-focused provider of training, professional learning, and embedded support to schools and ECE settings.
• Pause Breathe Smile: New Zealand social-emotional learning (SEL) programme for primary and intermediate schools, funded through the Ministry of Education. Comparable as a NZ SEL training and curriculum programme targeting the same education buyer.
• Le Va: New Zealand Pasifika mental health and wellbeing workforce development organisation. Comparable cultural-context peer combining indigenous/Pasifika frameworks with professional training and workforce capability-building for health and social services.

Emerging players

• Committee for Children: International non-profit developer of SEL curricula including Second Step. Comparable as a SEL programme publisher delivering structured training and classroom resources to schools, with a similar product-plus-training business model at greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• Tokona te Raki: New Zealand Māori education future-focused initiative backed by major NZ foundations. Comparable as an ecosystem-level player operating in Māori education outcomes and capability, albeit with a broader systems-change mandate rather than a single training product.

Regional players

• Changing Minds: New Zealand provider of mental health, suicide prevention, and wellbeing training to schools, communities, and workplaces. Comparable as a NZ training provider in adjacent wellbeing/behaviour change categories for similar buyer segments.
• Evaluation Associates: New Zealand education evaluation and professional development consultancy. Comparable as a NZ education-sector training and evaluation partner serving schools, kura, and government agencies with similar buyer relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/te.ara.whakamana.mana.enhancement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/te-ara-whakamana-ako-solutionz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Te Ara Whakamana - Ako Solutionz