Whāriki

What Whāriki does

Whāriki is a not-for-profit social franchise operating as the largest Māori business network in Aotearoa (New Zealand), connecting pakihi Māori (Māori business owners) and Māori professionals across the country through a freemium membership model. As of 19 June 2025 the network comprised 6,670 Māori business owners and professionals representing 3,676 businesses across 43 industries. The organization positions itself as a tūrangawaewae — a culturally safe standing place — grounded in kaupapa Māori values and the weaving of whanaungatanga (relationships) rather than conventional commercial networking.

The core product portfolio consists of: (1) Te Hapori o Whāriki, a private online community platform serving as a digital tūrangawaewae where members connect, collaborate, access masterclasses and toolkits, and use a member directory; (2) Rārangi Pakihi (Whāriki Business Directory), a public directory of 1,372+ pakihi Māori searchable by iwi, industry, and location; (3) Whāriki Events & Wānanga, including in-person hui, wānanga, the Whāriki6 webinar series, and masterclasses; and (4) the Whāriki Māori SME Economy Report, a proprietary research product presenting MBIE-sourced and member-sourced data on the Māori SME economy (which contributes NZ$32 billion to Aotearoa's economy). The platform stack is a standard online community CMS with no proprietary AI, API, SDK, mobile app, or disclosed data flywheel.

Whāriki operates from a registered Auckland headquarters and a Whangārei regional office (Whāriki Te Tai Tokerau, Hihiaua Cultural Centre), and is privately held as Whāriki Aotearoa Limited. Because membership is free, the organization is funded through a disclosed set of corporate sponsors (Air New Zealand, Meta, Spark, Google, NZ Māori Tourism) and strategic partners including Tataki Auckland Unlimited, Callaghan Innovation, BDO, Simpson Grierson, PledgeMe, MSD, Hnry, and BNZ. The customer base is highly distributed (91% of pakihi Māori turn over NZ$1M or less annually; 86% employ 1-5 staff; 40% are owned by wāhine Māori), implying low per-member revenue concentration but moderate funding concentration on the corporate-sponsor side.

Name

Whāriki

Legal name

Whāriki Aotearoa Limited

Website

https://whariki.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Whāriki is a not-for-profit Māori business network in Aotearoa New Zealand, operating the largest collective of pakihi Māori — 6,670 members representing 3,676 businesses across 43 industries — via a free online community platform, public business directory, and regional events program funded by corporate sponsorships and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

East Tamaki

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership (Free): Whāriki membership is free for pakihi Māori (Māori businesses) and Māori professionals. As a not-for-profit social franchise, the organization appears to operate through grants, sponsorships, and partnerships rather than membership fees.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Grants: As a not-for-profit, Whāriki operates through corporate sponsorships (Air New Zealand, Meta, Spark, Google, NZ Māori Tourism) and likely government/ philanthropic grants to support its mission of growing the Māori economy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Whāriki operates a not-for-profit social franchise that connects pakihi Māori (Māori businesses) and Māori professionals across Aotearoa through free membership. Its core offering is Te Hapori o Whāriki, a private online community platform (digital tūrangawaewae) that enables networking, resource sharing, masterclasses and collaboration, complemented by the public Rārangi Pakihi business directory and a programme of regional hui, wānanga, webinars and masterclasses.

Product overview

Whāriki Māori Business Network is a not-for-profit social franchise that operates as the largest collective of Māori businesses in Aotearoa, offering a multi-component platform centered on connection, community, and capability-building for pakihi Māori. The core product portfolio consists of: (1) Te Hapori o Whāriki — a private online community platform (digital tūrangawaewae) where members connect, collaborate, access masterclasses and toolkits, and use a member directory; (2) the Whāriki Business Directory (Rārangi Pakihi) — a publicly accessible searchable directory of pakihi Māori filtered by industry, iwi, and location; (3) Whāriki Events & Wānanga — in-person and online events, workshops, webinars, and masterclasses for networking and education; and (4) the Whāriki Māori SME Economy Report — a research resource presenting statistics on the Māori SME economy. Membership is free for pakihi Māori and Māori professionals, and the network spans multiple regions across Aotearoa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Te Hapori o Whāriki: The private online community platform for Whāriki members—a digital tūrangawaewae where members can connect, collaborate, access resources, seek advice, and support one another.
• Rārangi Pakihi

Products and services

• Te Hapori o Whāriki (Community Platform) Private online community platform serving as a digital tūrangawaewae for Māori businesses and professionals, enabling members to connect, collaborate, access masterclasses, toolkits, templates, seek advice, message each other and use the member directory. Membership is free and grounded in kaupapa Māori values.
• Whāriki Business Directory (Rārangi Pakihi) Aotearoa's largest Māori business directory, publicly searchable by industry, iwi and location on an interactive map, allowing member businesses to gain exposure to a wider audience and potential customers.
• Whāriki Events & Wānanga In-person and online events including hui (gatherings), wānanga (workshops), webinars and masterclasses (including the Whāriki6 series) for pakihi Māori to network, learn and engage with industry leaders and thought makers.
• Whāriki Māori SME Economy Report Research and reporting resource presenting key statistics about the Māori SME economy, including data on pakihi Māori by industry, annual turnover and full-time equivalent employment, drawing on MBIE data and Whāriki member information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,670 Māori business owners and professionals connected through the network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Air New ZealandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor shown on Whāriki website partners section. Air New Zealand supports Māori business initiatives as part of their commitment to the Māori economy.
• MetacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWhāriki partners with Meta on 'Boost with Meta' events - digital marketing workshops designed to help pakihi Māori thrive in the digital world. Multiple events held in Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Tai Tokerau, Pōneke, and Kirikiriroa.
• SparkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor shown on Whāriki website partners section.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor shown on Whāriki website partners section. Whāriki has partnered with Google on 'Google My Pakihi' events helping small businesses leverage free Google tools.
• NZ Māori TourismminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor shown on Whāriki website partners section. Supports Māori tourism businesses within the network.
• Tataki Auckland UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki partners with Tataki Auckland Unlimited to grow the Māori economy in Tāmaki Makaurau through initiatives such as the Treasures of Tāmaki platform. Auckland is home to 23% of all Māori businesses.
• Callaghan InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki partners with Callaghan Innovation on AI education initiatives including 'Demystifying AI' and 'AI in Action' webinars to help pakihi Māori understand and leverage artificial intelligence.
• BDOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBDO publishes the Māori Business Sector Report, which Whāriki references and promotes as part of their research resources for members.
• Simpson GriersonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki partnered with Simpson Grierson (a leading law firm) to deliver a webinar on Intellectual Property for Pakihi Māori.
• PledgeMeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhāriki partners with PledgeMe crowdfunding platform for 'Pūtea for Pakihi' events helping launch pakihi Māori crowdfunding campaigns.
• Ministry of Social Development (MSD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki partnered with MSD to deliver a webinar helping businesses understand government funding and support ecosystem.
• HnryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāriki partnered with Hnry (tax services) for 'Let's Talk About Tax' webinars covering GST, Provisional Tax & ACC Levies.
• BNZ BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhāriki Te Tai Tokerau hosts 'Pūtea Pūkōrero' networking events at BNZ Bank Whangārei to discuss business financing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Callaghan Innovation: New Zealand government innovation agency delivering AI, R&D and capability programmes. Listed as a strategic partner of Whāriki and an enabler of pakihi Māori capability uplift rather than a competing network.
• Tātaki Auckland Unlimited: Auckland Council's economic and cultural agency supporting Tāmaki Makaurau's economy. Co-delivers the Treasures of Tāmaki platform with Whāriki, acting as an enabler of Māori economic outcomes in the region.

Broad incumbents

• NZ Chambers of Commerce: National coordination body for the regional Chambers of Commerce network across Aotearoa. Comparable to Whāriki in offering a multi-region business membership layer, though without indigenous-specific cultural positioning.
• Auckland Business Chamber: Regional chamber of commerce serving Tāmaki Makaurau — the same metro where ~23% of Māori businesses are concentrated — providing networking, events and advocacy that Whāriki effectively re-creates for a culturally specific membership.
• BusinessNZ: New Zealand's peak business advocacy body representing firms of all sizes. Provides the broader, non-Māori-specific membership and policy advocacy template against which Whāriki's community-led model is differentiated.

Direct peers

• Supply Nation: Australia's leading Indigenous business directory and network connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses with corporate and government buyers. Closest functional peer to Whāriki's combination of member network, directory and corporate partnership model.
• National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA): Canada's national network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions delivering capital, advisory and capacity-building services to Indigenous entrepreneurs. Comparable to Whāriki's capability-building and funding-access role for pakihi Māori.
• Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB): National Canadian membership organisation supporting Indigenous-owned businesses through networking, procurement matching, research and events — a near-analogous role to Whāriki within the Canadian indigenous economy.
• Federation of Māori Authorities (FOMA): New Zealand pan-tribal organisation representing Māori-owned authorities and enterprises on economic, resource and policy matters. Operates as a collective voice for pakihi Māori in a way that partially overlaps Whāriki's network role.

Emerging players

• Māori Women's Development Inc (MWDI): Aotearoa organisation supporting Māori women into business and leadership, including capability building and access to capital. Shares Whāriki's kaupapa Māori grounding and community-led model but focuses on a narrower demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MaoriBusinessNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maoribusinessnetwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/whariki.co.nz
• TikToktiktok.com/@whariki.co.nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Whāriki