Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd

What Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd does

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd is a Māori-owned private company founded in 2012 and headquartered in New Zealand's Eastern Bay of Plenty. The company delivers forestry and primary industry workforce development programmes targeted at Māori youth (rangatahi) and their whānau, structured around three core offerings: the trademarked LWYE™ (Learn While You Earn) programme, the MSD-funded TOI programme (an 8-week pre-employment pathway), and the Ahumahi Mai taster courses delivered across multiple North Island regions. A training subsidiary, Whare Ako Mahi, formalises qualification delivery. To date, the company reports having trained more than 450 rangatahi and whānau, with 235+ ākonga qualified in Forestry Operations as of September 2020.

Revenue is generated through a mixed model combining government contracts from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), iwi/hapū/marae partnerships, and commercial forestry services delivered through Te Pākihi, which spans silviculture, biosecurity, environmental work, and carbon/emissions trading activity. The Takawaenga – Whenua Tipu programme extends into whenua (land) recovery services for iwi owners. The company is led by co-directors and founders Simon and Wini Geddes, who bring 40+ years of combined forestry and primary industry experience.

The company operates at a small scale (11–50 employees) and holds Safetree Certified Contractor status, with MPI Good Employer Awards finalist recognition in 2022. There is no disclosed digital platform, proprietary technology stack, or AI/ML capability in the input data; the operating model is field- and people-led. Customer concentration on MSD and MPI is a defining structural feature of the business.

Name

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd

Legal name

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd

Website

https://tanemahuta.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd is a Māori-owned New Zealand forestry and primary industry training company (founded 2012) delivering workforce development programmes for rangatahi, combining government-funded training with commercial silviculture, biosecurity, and carbon trading services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry and Primary Industries Vocational Training

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture & Food Production (EDABALAA), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Forestry training programs
• Youth workforce development
• Primary industry employment
• Maori vocational training
• Learn while earn

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded Training Programs: Fully funded training programs supported by the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry for Primary Industries. TOI Program is free for participants. Programs provide work readiness training and qualifications while participants may receive jobseeker support.
2. Silviculture & Forest Management Services: Commercial services spanning silviculture, biosecurity, environmental work, and carbon trading. Workforce comprises trained professionals who have progressed through company programs, offering services to external employers.
3. Whare Ako Mahi Training Programs: Training programs offered internally for workforce development and as collaborative partnerships with external employers seeking to upskill their workforce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd trains, qualifies, and employs rangatahi (Māori youth) to work on their whenua (ancestral land) in the forestry and primary industries sector. Its core offerings are the LWYE™ Learn While You Earn 18-month training program, the 8-week TOI (Training, Orientation & Induction) Program fully funded by the Ministry of Social Development, and the Ahumahi Mai 2-3 day taster courses, delivered through its training subsidiary Whare Ako Mahi and supported by a Kaupapa Māori (Māori approach) framework with wrap-around pastoral care.

Product overview

Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd is a Māori-owned training and employment organisation offering a unified portfolio of workforce development programmes centred on the LWYE™ (Learn While You Earn) model. The core offering spans training programmes (LWYE™, Ahumahi Mai taster courses, TOI Programme), pastoral care services (Kaihautū, Hauora Oranganui, D.T.R.U), and commercial services (Te Pākihi covering silviculture, biosecurity, and environmental work). Whare Ako Mahi serves as the training subsidiary implementing these programmes, while Takawaenga manages land recovery initiatives. The company operates as a single integrated organisation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with services designed to work together to support rangatahi from initial taster courses through to qualified employment on their whenua.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whare Ako Mahi: Training subsidiary that implements training and employment programs including LYWE Learn While You Earn, Ahumahi Mai, and cadetships.
• LWYE™ Learn While You Earn
• Ahumahi Mai - Give it a Go
• T.O.I Program
• Hauora Oranganui
• Kaihautū Pastoral Care
• D.T.R.U
• Haumaru Toiora
• Te Pākihi
• Takawaenga - Whenua Tipu

Products and services

• LWYE™ Learn While You Earn 18-month training programme where tauira (students) learn and earn as they work on their whenua, combining kinaesthetic on-the-job training with in-class assessments and online learning while earning a wage. Trainers provide individual training plans tailored to each person's skill and learning abilities. Designed for rangatahi (Māori youth) seeking qualifications and employment in forestry operations.
• Ahumahi Mai - Give it a Go! Two-to-three day taster courses offering rangatahi and individuals from diverse backgrounds immersive first-hand experience in primary industries, with site visits and participation in industry tasks. Held across Gisborne, Hastings, Rotorua, and Kāwhia. Designed as an introductory experience for young Māori considering forestry careers.
• TOI (Training, Orientation & Induction) Program An 8-week initiative supported by the Ministry of Social Development providing essential industry skills, work readiness training, and career exploration, with certifications in Health & Safety, Hydration and Nutrition, and first aid. Fully funded — free for all participants, with daily transport to worksites provided and jobseeker support receivable during the programme.
• Whare Ako Mahi Training Programs Training subsidiary of Tāne Mahuta implementing LWYE™, Ahumahi Mai, and cadetship programs. Whare Ako Mahi delivers training programs internally for workforce development and offers collaborative partnerships with external employers seeking to upskill their workforce in forestry and primary industries.
• Te Pākihi Commercial Services Commercial arm of Tāne Mahuta providing silviculture, biosecurity, environmental work, and carbon trading services, with a workforce of trained professionals who have progressed through company programs. Offered to external employers seeking qualified forestry crews.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 450 rangatahi and whānau helped since inception
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Social Development (MSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSD provides full funding for the TOI (Training, Orientation, and Induction) Program, an 8-week initiative that provides participants with essential industry skills, work readiness training, and career exploration opportunities at no cost to participants.
• Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPI supports Tāne Mahuta through the Good Employer Awards program and recognition of Māori Agribusiness employers driving good employment practices. MPI provides funding for rangatahi training initiatives in the primary industries.
• Local Iwi, Hapū, and MaraecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners, Tāne Mahuta works with local iwi, hapū, and marae to ensure rangatahi have first opportunity to work on whānau land. Community partnerships are foundational to the kaupapa Māori approach.
• Te Waka, Te Pūkenga, TāuitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organizations supporting the primary industries and vocational training ecosystem in Aotearoa.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Te Wānanga o Aotearoa: A Māori-led tertiary education institution operating across Aotearoa with a kaupapa Māori framework comparable to Tāne Mahuta. Both deliver indigenous-led training and qualifications, though TWoA is broader in scope (not forestry-specific).
• Te Pūkenga: New Zealand's national vocational education entity incorporating the former Primary ITO, the industry training organisation for primary industries. Directly comparable as the dominant vocational/industry training provider for forestry and agriculture workforce development.
• Vertical Horizonz New Zealand: A New Zealand-based private training establishment specialising in forestry, health and safety, and arboriculture qualifications. Directly comparable as a forestry-specific vocational training provider serving industry-employer pathways.

Others

• Waihanga Ara Rau: A Workforce Development Council responsible for setting skill standards and developing qualifications across construction and infrastructure trades in NZ. Comparable as an ecosystem participant shaping vocational outcomes for trades-based industries adjacent to forestry.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln University: New Zealand's primary land-based university with deep forestry, agriculture, and environmental management programmes. Comparable as a tertiary educator training the primary-industry workforce, though at degree level rather than vocational/apprenticeship.
• Competenz: A New Zealand industry training organisation delivering apprenticeships and vocational credentials across manufacturing, electrical, plumbing, and related trades. Comparable as an established ITO delivering industry-funded training, though in non-primary sectors.

Regional players

• Te Wānanga o Raukawa: A Māori wānanga based in the lower North Island delivering tertiary education under kaupapa Māori principles. Comparable as another indigenous-led tertiary provider, though operating in a different geographic catchment from Tāne Mahuta.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TaneMahutaLtd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa Ltd