Tōnui Collab

What Tōnui Collab does

Tōnui Collab Charitable Trust (CC58901), founded in 2019, is a New Zealand nonprofit providing specialist STEMM education to tamariki and rangatahi in Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne region), with deliberate integration of Mātauranga Māori as a fifth pillar alongside Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The organization is led by Director Shanon O'Connor (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu), a board chaired by Warren Williams, and a four-person delivery team including Lead STEMM Navigator, STEMM Navigator, and a School and Community Coordinator.

The product portfolio spans seven core programs: Experience AI (AI literacy wānanga for rangatahi and teacher PLD, delivered via Raspberry Pi Foundation partnership), Kōhine Robotics (VEX IQ-based marae robotics for Year 6-9 girls), School STEMM Explorer Workshops (reo rua delivery covering animation, 3D modelling, robotics, coding, AR, and VR), School Holiday Workshops (NZ$50 per child per day, covering VR, game development, 3D modelling, and digital art), Pā Hangarau (marae-based 3-day VR and Game Development wānanga), Recycle A Device (RAD) laptop refurbishment, and a free weekly After-School STEMM Club. Programs run on a hands-on pedagogy of "exploration, fast fails, and collaborative problem solving," supported by a purpose-built STEMM Lab co-located at the Mātai Research Campus (466 Childers Road, Gisborne).

The business model is philanthropic and grant-funded rather than commercial: revenue comes primarily from donations (via bank transfer and Stripe portal) and grants from Spark Foundation, Ministry of Education, Tindall Foundation, Gattung Foundation, Internet NZ, Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou, Gisborne District Council, and other public and private funders. The only priced commercial stream is the holiday workshop at NZ$50 per child per day. The go-to-market is event-driven: scheduled term and holiday workshops at the STEMM Lab, on-site school/kura delivery, marae-based wānanga, and after-school programs. Customer segments are children/youth, teachers, and marae/whānau in a single region of New Zealand.

Name

Tōnui Collab

Legal name

Tōnui Collab Charitable Trust

Website

https://tonuicollab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tōnui Collab is a New Zealand charitable trust delivering reo rua (Māori/English) STEMM education — robotics, VR, AI literacy, game development — to tamariki, rangatahi, and teachers across Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne region), funded primarily by philanthropic grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEMM Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter STEM/STEAM-Focused Schools (EDAJACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tribal Teacher Education & Indigenous Language Colleges (Educator Prep/Language Revitalization) (EDAHANAG)

Keywords

• STEMM education
• Māori education programs
• School workshops
• Robotics education
• AI literacy training

Headquarters

HQ city

Gisborne

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Tōnui Collab operates as a charitable trust (CC58901) relying on donations from individuals and organizations. Donations can be made via bank transfer or Stripe payment portal.
2. Holiday Workshop Fees: School holiday workshops are offered at $50 per child per day, providing revenue for workshop delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tōnui Collab is a charitable trust that delivers specialist STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Mātauranga Māori) education through in-school workshops, after-school clubs, school holiday workshops, marae-based wānanga, and teacher professional development, with bilingual reo rua (te reo Māori/English) delivery at its STEMM lab on the Mātai Research Campus in Gisborne and on-site at schools, kura, and marae across Te Tairāwhiti.

Product overview

Tōnui Collab is a charitable trust providing specialist STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Mātauranga Māori) education programs for learners in Te Tairāwhiti, New Zealand. The organization offers a portfolio of workshops and wānanga including Experience AI (AI literacy for students and teachers), Kōhine Robotics (VEX IQ robotics for Year 6-9 girls), School STEMM Explorer Workshops, School Holiday Workshops, Pā Hangarau (marae-based VR/Game Development), Recycle A Device (RAD laptop refurbishment), and After School STEMM Club. Programs are delivered in reo rua (dual language - Māori and English) at the STEMM Lab on the Mātai Research Campus and at various marae across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experience AI Two-day AI literacy wānanga for secondary school rangatahi that introduces foundational AI and machine learning concepts, explores biases, and examines real-world applications and safety implications including data, misinformation, and deepfakes. Built on the Experience AI curriculum developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and delivered free of charge.
• Experience AI for Teachers Free AI literacy professional development for educators delivered in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, providing lesson plans, slide decks, worksheets, and videos for teaching AI to high school students. Available in-person or online as whole-day or shorter workshop series.
• Kōhine Robotics Marae-based robotics wānanga for Year 6-9 girls (kōhine) focused on VEX IQ Robotics, developing confidence with technologies, leadership skills, and exploring study and career pathways in tech.
• School STEMM Explorer Workshops Two-hour reo rua (dual language) STEMM workshops hosted at the Tōnui Collab STEMM lab on the Mātai Research Campus for Year 0-13 students, covering digital animation, stop motion animation, 3D modelling, robotic coding, electronic engineering, digital art, game development, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Free for 2026 thanks to Spark Foundation and Ministry of Education support.
• School Holiday Workshops One-day school holiday workshops for 7-13 year olds covering Virtual Reality, Game Development, 3D Modelling, Digital Art, Robotics, and Animation. Held 9am-3pm at NZ$50 per child per day.
• Pā Hangarau Three-day Virtual Reality and Game Development wānanga held at marae, where tamariki aged 7-13 explore VR experiences and build digital content celebrating te ao Māori.
• Recycle A Device (RAD) Weekend workshop program where rangatahi aged 12+ learn to refurbish laptops that are then gifted to community members in need, addressing digital inequity. Delivered in partnership with Digital Future Aotearoa.
• After School STEMM Club Free weekly after-school STEMM Club for 7-13 year olds held at Tōnui Collab's STEMM Lab, focusing on game development and experimentation with different programming languages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ tamariki and rangatahi have engaged with STEMM programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mangatū MaraecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Marae partnership for Pā Hangarau July 2026 - a 3-day VR and Game Development wānanga for taitamariki aged 7-13 years.
• Raspberry Pi FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Experience AI program - FREE AI literacy professional development for educators. Experience AI curriculum developed by Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with Google DeepMind.
• Katoa ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for AI literacy wānanga for rangatahi - Tōnui Collab hosts AI literacy wānanga in partnership with Katoa Connect and Raspberry Pi Foundation.
• Digital Future AotearoacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring RAD (Recycle A Device) kaupapa to Te Tairāwhiti. Digital Future Aotearoa created the RAD initiative that Tōnui Collab has partnered with.
• DTTA (Digital Technology Teachers of Aotearoa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious years support for Kōhine Robotics program.
• SheSharpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious years support for Kōhine Robotics program, providing inspiration from women in Science and Tech roles.
• Māori Marae (Various)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with multiple marae including Rangiwaho Marae, Pākōwhai Marae, Whāngārā Marae, Hauiti Marae, Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae, Muriwai Marae, Tuatini Marae, Pararaki Marae, Whakatō Marae, and Parihimanihi Marae for Pā Hangarau wānanga.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Curious Minds: NZ organisation engaging young people with science, technology and innovation through programmes, events and outreach. Comparable to Tōnui Collab in STEM engagement, youth focus, and grant-funded non-profit structure, though operating at national rather than regional scale.
• SheSharp: NZ non-profit inspiring and empowering women and girls into technology careers through events, programmes and role-model engagement. A named former supporter of Tōnui Collab's Kōhine Robotics programme; comparable on mission, women-in-STEM lens, and youth outreach workshops.
• OMGTech!: New Zealand charity delivering STEM/robotics and digital technology education to Māori and Pacific young people through workshops, programmes and community engagement. Directly comparable to Tōnui Collab in mission (indigenous STEM equity), target audience, and workshop-based delivery model.
• Digital Future Aotearoa: Named partner of Tōnui Collab on the RAD (Recycle A Device) kaupapa; national nonprofit focused on digital inclusion and digital equity programmes across Aotearoa. Comparable on mission (digital equity), target (disadvantaged youth), and delivery style (community workshops).
• Code Club Aotearoa: NZ volunteer-led coding and STEM clubs for children and youth, operating through schools and community spaces. Closely comparable to Tōnui Collab on age band (kids/teens), STEM workshop format, and philanthropic/nonprofit operating model, though without the indigenous-language integration.

Regional players

• Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi: Māori tertiary institution (wānanga) based in the wider Bay of Plenty / East Coast region of Aotearoa, providing tertiary education grounded in Māori culture and values. Comparable to Tōnui Collab geographically and on indigenous-cultural anchoring, but operates as a degree-granting institution rather than K-12 STEM workshops.
• MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology): Auckland-based museum delivering STEM, transport and technology education programmes to schools and the public. Comparable to Tōnui Collab on hands-on STEM education, school-workshop format, and community engagement, though operating as a broader cultural institution in a different region.
• EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology / Te Pūkenga): Regional tertiary education provider with campuses in the Gisborne/Tairāwhiti region (Tōnui Collab's home territory). Offers degree and diploma pathways, including in technology, and is named as a previous Kōhine Robotics supporter; comparable as a regional tertiary STEM education anchor in Tairāwhiti.

Broad incumbents

• Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand): New Zealand's national museum, delivering education programmes, exhibitions and learning experiences across STEM, culture and natural history. Comparable on education mission, public-good funding, and STEM/culture learning delivery, though at national scale and as part of a much broader portfolio.

Others

• Raspberry Pi Foundation: UK-based charity and a core strategic partner of Tōnui Collab, providing the Experience AI curriculum (developed with Google DeepMind) used in Tōnui's AI literacy programmes. Comparable as a STEM/digital education charity, though operates at global scale and as an upstream curriculum provider rather than a direct NZ programme deliverer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TonuiCollab
• Instagraminstagram.com/tonuicollab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tonuicollab
• Xx.com/tonuicollab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tonuicollab

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 Tōnui Collab