TupuToa
TupuToa is a New Zealand non-profit that develops Māori and Pacific talent for corporate, government, and community organisations through 12-week paid internships, leadership wānanga, and cultural competency training, funded by tiered multi-year corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TupuToa does
TupuToa is a New Zealand-based non-profit charitable trust established in 2016, with its core programmes launching in 2019, dedicated to developing Māori and Pacific talent for corporate, government, and community organisations. Headquartered in Auckland (operating from within Dentsu's premises at 68 Sale Street), the organisation employs 19 staff under a Board of Trustees governance structure led by CEO Aroha Armstrong. Its mission is to address the underrepresentation of Māori and Pacific peoples in corporate New Zealand leadership, where only 17-18% of the top 60 firms have executives identifying as other than European/Pākehā, despite Māori and Pacific peoples comprising roughly 27% of the national population.
The organisation's core product is a 12-week paid Internship Programme placing Māori and Pacific tertiary students into partner organisations, with explicit intent to convert internships into permanent employment. A second flagship programme, Kia Tupu Kia Toa, is a transformational leadership offering comprising five immersive wānanga designed to grow Māori and Pacific leaders through cultural connection. Supporting services include Graduate Pastoral Support delivered by a Navigator team, Cultural Competency Training, and DE&I Consultancy exclusive to Principal Partners. Delivery relies on human relationships — Navigator staff, university career service liaisons, and a growing alumni network — rather than any proprietary technology platform.
TupuToa's revenue model is a tiered multi-year corporate partnership subscription: Principal Partners commit $60,000/year over 3 years for 10 annual placements; Major Partners $30,000/year over 3 years for 5 placements; Support Partners $18,000/year for 3 placements; and Scholarship Partners $7,000 per placement under 12-month contracts. The organisation has secured over 50 named partners across professional services (PwC, KPMG, Accenture, Grant Thornton), banking and insurance (BNZ, Suncorp, IAG), retail and consumer (Foodstuffs, Fonterra, Yellow), technology (Microsoft, Xero, Datacom), infrastructure (AECOM, ARUP, Chorus, Fletcher Living), and government (MBIE, ACC, Auckland Council, TVNZ, Tourism New Zealand). Annual placement volumes have grown from 210 in 2019/20 to 450 in 2023/24.
TupuToa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TupuToa
- Legal name
- TupuToa
- Website
- https://tuputoa.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- TupuToa is a New Zealand non-profit that develops Māori and Pacific talent for corporate, government, and community organisations through 12-week paid internships, leadership wānanga, and cultural competency training, funded by tiered multi-year corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TupuToa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development and Diversity & Inclusion Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ)
Keywords
Where TupuToa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
TupuToa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Principal Partnership: Large organizations commit $60,000 annually over 3 years ($180,000 total) for 10 placements per year, receiving access to internship recruitment, graduate support, leadership development, cultural competency training, and DE&I consultancy services.
- Major Partnership: Organizations commit $30,000 annually over 3 years ($90,000 total) for 5 placements per year, receiving recruitment, pastoral support, and networking services.
- Support Partnership: Organizations contribute $18,000 annually for 3 placements per year, receiving core internship programme access.
- Scholarship Partnership: Partners contribute $7,000 per placement under 12-month contracts, suitable for organizations with smaller workforce needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Principal Partnership - $60,000/year for 3 years with 10 placements annually |
| Subscription | Annual | Major Partnership - $30,000/year for 3 years with 5 placements annually |
| Subscription | Annual | Support Partnership - $18,000/year for 3 years with 3 placements annually |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Scholarship Partnership - $7,000 per placement, 12-month contract |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
TupuToa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TupuToa develops and places Māori and Pacific tertiary students into 12-week paid internships with corporate, government and community partner organizations, with the explicit goal of converting these into permanent full-time roles. The organization complements this with the Kia Tupu Kia Toa Leadership Programme (five immersive wānanga grounded in Māori culture) and wraparound services including Graduate Pastoral Support, Cultural Competency Training, and DE&I Consultancy delivered to partner organizations.
Product overview
TupuToa offers a portfolio of workforce development programmes focused on developing Māori and Pacific leaders for corporate Aotearoa. The core offerings consist of the Internship Programme (providing 12-week paid internships for tertiary students) and the Kia Tupu Kia Toa Leadership Programme (a transformational leadership programme with five immersive wānanga). These are supported by supplementary services including Graduate Pastoral Support, Cultural Competency Training, and DE&I Consultancy (for Principal Partners). The organisation connects partner organisations with emerging Māori and Pacific talent through structured placement, onboarding, and ongoing support services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kia Tupu Kia Toa: A transformational leadership programme designed to grow and empower Māori and Pacific leaders through immersive wānanga, cultural connection, and real-world leadership experiences.
Products and services
- Internship Programme A 12-week paid internship employment pathway that places Māori and Pacific tertiary students in corporate, government and community organisations, with the explicit goal of converting internships into full-time graduate employment.
- Kia Tupu Kia Toa Leadership Programme
Quantifiable outcome
- 210-450 internship opportunities per year from 2019/20 to 2023/24
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use TupuToa
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TupuToa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TupuToa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered principal partner, major partner, support partner and scholarship partner.
- Accentureprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner contributing $60,000/year over 3 years for 10 placements annually. Global professional services firm committed to diversity and inclusion in New Zealand.
- Foodstuffsprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner contributing $60,000/year over 3 years. Major grocery retailer operating New World, Pak'nSave, and Four Square chains across New Zealand.
- Dentsuprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner contributing $60,000/year over 3 years. Global media and digital marketing communications company. Hosts TupuToa office space at Auckland premises.
- PwCprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner contributing $60,000/year over 3 years. Professional services firm providing audit, tax, and consulting services.
- Suncorpprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner contributing $60,000/year over 3 years. Insurance and banking group operating in New Zealand as Suncorp and IAG brands.
- Fonterramajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years for 5 placements annually. Major New Zealand dairy cooperative and food company.
- Grant Thorntonmajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Professional services firm offering audit, tax, and advisory services.
- IAGmajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Insurance Australia Group operating NRMA, State, AMI, and Lumley Insurance brands.
- KPMGmajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Global professional services and audit firm.
- One NZmajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Major New Zealand telecommunications provider (formerly Vodafone NZ).
- TVNZmajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Major New Zealand public broadcaster and streaming platform.
- SkyCitymajor partnerMajor Partner contributing $30,000/year over 3 years. Entertainment and casino operator in Auckland, Hamilton, and Queenstown.
- Auckland Councilsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. Largest local government entity in New Zealand.
- Air New Zealandsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. National airline of New Zealand.
- ARUPsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. Global engineering and design consultancy.
- AECOMsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. Global infrastructure firm working on major projects including Auckland City Rail Link.
- Chorussupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. New Zealand's largest telecommunications infrastructure company.
- Datacomsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. Largest New Zealand-owned IT services company.
- Microsoftscholarship partnerScholarship Partner contributing $7,000 per placement. Global technology company supporting diversity in tech.
- Tourism New Zealandscholarship partnerScholarship Partner contributing $7,000 per placement. Government agency promoting New Zealand globally.
- Xeroscholarship partnerScholarship Partner contributing $7,000 per placement. New Zealand-founded accounting software company.
- BNZsupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. Bank New Zealand, part of NAB Group.
- Genesis Energysupport partnerSupport Partner contributing $18,000/year for 3 placements annually. New Zealand electricity and gas retailer.
- Yellowprincipal partnerPrincipal Partner with significant involvement including hosting TupuToa within its premises for 3 years. Directory and digital marketing company.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
TupuToa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CareerTrackers: Australian non-profit running a structured paid internship program for Indigenous university students with corporate partners. Closest international analogue to TupuToa's model in terms of mission (Indigenous representation), target cohort (tertiary students), and corporate partner-driven revenue model.
- Year Up: US workforce development non-profit providing year-long training and corporate internships for young adults from underrepresented communities. Highly comparable as a corporate-partner-funded internship-to-employment pipeline, though operating at significantly larger scale.
- Genesys Works: US non-profit that creates pathways from high school to corporate careers for underrepresented youth via corporate-hosted paid internships. Comparable cohort-targeting, corporate-partner revenue model, and wraparound support delivery approach.
- Braven: US non-profit offering career acceleration for first-generation and students from underrepresented backgrounds at partner universities. Comparable in serving diverse tertiary students through corporate partnerships, though focused more on professional skills than internship placement.
- NPower: US/Canada non-profit providing tech training and corporate placement for young adults from underserved communities. Comparable as a workforce development non-profit combining skills training, wraparound support, and corporate partner placement.
- Per Scholas: US non-profit providing tuition-free technology training and job placement for adults from underserved communities. Comparable as a non-profit, corporate-partner-funded skills development and employment pathway organisation, though with a stronger tech-training focus.
Regional players
- Pacific Business Trust: New Zealand-based Pacific community economic development organisation. Operates in the same Pacific-community economic empowerment space in New Zealand and is referenced as a TupuToa community partner — comparable in audience and mission, though focused more on business development than internship placement.
- Le Va: New Zealand Pacific mental health and community wellbeing non-profit. Listed as a TupuToa community partner; comparable as a Pacific-focused New Zealand social enterprise serving similar communities, though its core mission is health rather than workforce development.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TupuToa social profiles
Digital presenceTupuToa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TupuToa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
TupuToa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TupuToa 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 TupuToa
What does TupuToa do?
TupuToa develops and places Māori and Pacific tertiary students into 12-week paid internships with corporate, government and community partner organizations, with the explicit goal of converting these into permanent full-time roles. The organization complements this with the Kia Tupu Kia Toa Leadership Programme (five immersive wānanga grounded in Māori culture) and wraparound services including Graduate Pastoral Support, Cultural Competency Training, and DE&I Consultancy delivered to partner organizations.
When was TupuToa founded?
TupuToa was founded in 2019.
Where is TupuToa based?
TupuToa is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does TupuToa make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Principal Partnership is the primary driver. The others are major Partnership, support Partnership and scholarship Partnership.
Who are TupuToa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CareerTrackers, Year Up, Genesys Works, Braven, NPower and Per Scholas. Regional players are Pacific Business Trust and Le Va.
Does TupuToa have an API?
No public API is recorded for TupuToa.
What industry is TupuToa in?
TupuToa's product category is Workforce Development and Diversity & Inclusion Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALABAJ, Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 7361.