Ō mātou Purapura
Meet our Tupu Accelerator Purapura cohort and find out more about their pakihi
Ako Insight is a curriculum‑aligned planning platform that helps kaiako create consistent, high‑quality learning plans with less workload. It brings progressions, templates, and team visibility into one simple, culturally grounded system built for Aotearoa.
I’m Ashleigh Heke (Waikato), the co‑founder of Ako Insight, a kaupapa‑driven education platform designed to support kaiako and kura across Aotearoa. I’m also a proud mum to my two boys, Johnson and Daeliaus, who are a big part of why I do this mahi. Alongside building Ako Insight, I volunteer as the Inventory Manager at Toby’s Seafoods and I’m completing my final year of a Bachelor of Accounting through the Open Polytechnic.
Pati Lafaialii is the co-founder of Ako Insight, an AI-powered platform supporting teachers across Aotearoa. Of Samoan heritage, he brings a values-based approach grounded in service, community, and collective uplift. With a background in construction, he has delivered projects for Kāinga Ora, schools, and government agencies. Pati now applies his operational and project management experience to building practical technology that supports educators and improves outcomes for learners.
Every day, New Zealand dairy farmers pour millions of litres of waste milk down the drain. It is an environmental liability, a regulatory risk, and a direct financial loss.
DairyTech Solutions has built the AXIS system: a portable, on-farm drying unit that converts waste milk into a stable, feed-grade powder in hours. Farmers recover value from a waste stream, eliminate discharge costs, and produce a high-quality calf feed on-site. No transport. No contractors. No waste. The AXIS system pays for itself in under two years and works on any farm, any size.
Kia Ora my name is Tawa (Ngāti Whātua), I am the Director and Co-founder of DairyTech Solutions. I am very excited about this new business as I am doing with my family, I started my first business at 19 and have been working for myself since, I am now 23. I have also been around there world for a sport called Polocrosse.
Hinu Ora is a whānau Māori business producing premium, natural kānuka oil and hydrosol from leaves hand-harvested on our whenua. Our products are designed to support pain relief, skin health, and antibacterial cleaning, offering a powerful, plant-based alternative to synthetic solutions. Trusted by athletes and whānau alike, Hinu Ora combines traditional knowledge with practical, everyday use.
Kia ora my name is Kimberly Tait (Moriori, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Whakaue (Te Arawa), Te Aupōuri). He uri tēnei nō te nōta, Muriwhenua. I have four young tamariki. I’m currently working in the education space.
My name is Rowena Lloyd (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Tūhoe, Waikato) I am the manager of Hinuora, I was born and raised in the far north on my whenua in Ngāti Kahu surrounded by Kanuka so my connection with our product is very heartfelt. I have five beautiful children, my background is in Health and Safety and business.
Insyt is a digital health platform being developed to help people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) better understand and manage their symptoms day to day.
We are focused on reducing the uncertainty and trial and error that many people with IBS experience, by combining wearable data with simple user inputs to provide personalised, practical guidance.
Our goal is to help people with IBS feel more in control of their health and more confident in their everyday decisions.
Hannah Dryland (Ngāpuhi) is the co-founder of Insyt. She has a background in engineering and innovation management and has worked in project management and New Zealand startups. She’s currently focused on building Insyt to help people better understand and manage IBS day to day.
Lachlan is the co-founder of Insyt. With a background in construction, he brings a practical, problem-solving mindset to building the business. He is adaptable, quick to learn, and focused on creating something that genuinely helps people in their day to day lives.
AR+IQ is iSPARX’s modular spatial computing platform that combines AR, AI, and geospatial intelligence to create intelligent, location-aware experiences.
Designed for culture, education, retail, and events, it turns physical places into responsive digital environments grounded in ethical design,
interoperability, and kaupapa Māori values.
Ko Taranaki te maunga. Ko Waitara te awa. Ko Tokomaru te waka. Ko Te Atiawa tōku iwi. Ko Puketapu tōku hapū. Ko Joffre Raymond Kopu tōku ingoa.
I am an Indigenous producer, creative technologist, and the Chief Innovation Officer at iSPARX™ Group, where I lead projects at the intersection of Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and spatial computing. My focus is on creating immersive digital experiences that are culturally grounded and future-facing.
My name is James my work involves bringing digital ideas to life. I like motion art. My favourite bird is the Tui. The one thing I wish my job had more of is the Sun.
Bram (Te Atiawa (Taranaki)) supports iSPARX™ as an Advisor and Researcher, contributing strategic insight across the convergence of AR, AI, and spatial computing. His role focuses on strengthening the research foundations of the AR+IQ platform, ensuring that development is informed by rigorous analysis, emerging technologies, and evolving user behaviours.
His advisory work strengthens iSPARX™’s position at the intersection of creative practice, research, and emerging technology, supporting the delivery of meaningful, context-aware spatial experiences.
kahu.code is a Māori-owned, father-daughter-AI-run software company committed to integrating AI with the richness of te ao Māori.
Currently sitting at the intersection of AI, te reo Māori and education, kahu.code is looking to move toward purpose built small language models, devices and beyond.
Backed by tangata whenua and tech, kahu.code was born to tautoko te reo Māori speakers and its revitalisation.
Our moemoeā here at kahu.code is to leave a legacy.
“A reo Māori speaker in every home.”
Michael (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Porou) is the CTO and co-founder of kahu.code and has a background in education, linguistics, and technology.
A te reo Māori speaker, he brings 17 years teaching English at MAGS, a BA majoring in te reo Māori and English, a Master’s of Contemporary Education, and has served as an AI, Technology and Strategy Portfolio Supervisor at Massey University and on two NZQA panels.
A specialist in AI and language models, he is the 2024 winner of the Innovator Tipu Award from Te Hapori Matihiko.
Xaviere (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Porou) is the CEO and co-founder of kahu.code and has a background in te reo Māori revitalisation, technology, and community innovation.
A passionate te reo Māori revitaliser and AI enthusiast, she describes herself as a real-life API – connecting people, technology, and opportunity.
With over 10 years of experience across product, agile delivery, and entrepreneurship, she holds a Bachelor of Business in Business Information Systems and Management and a Diploma in Māori Language Fluency.
A two-time co-founder of kahu.code and Tech Taniwha, she was a finalist for the Innovator Tipu Award at Te Hapori Matihiko 2025.
Pet-Food Nutrition developed with a Conscience from nature to bowl. Designed to enhance pet health and longevity replicating humanized nutrition, ensuring that pets receive the same quality and care in their diet as their guardians.
The haerenga and recognising of angitutanga provides the inspiration to create genuine opportunity, sense of belonging and intergenerational growth for our Whanau, Hapu, and Iwi.
Sam Scott (Ngāti Wai): Co-founder/Director:
Studied Food Science & Technology, (Massey University) Diploma in Manufacturing Excellence, Studied Economics, Accounting, Marketing, Effective Communications, completed the Advanced Management Post Graduate Leadership Program via New Zealand Institute of Management.
Pragmatic and creative with vast leadership experience at executive senior strategic level. Experience in design and commercialization of ingredient, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical organisations.
Strategic infrastructure/asset design, implementation and management, commercial acumen, and proven ability to increase stream returns based on financial/operational performance, personnel capability, policy and legislative frameworks, market intel and technology.
Key competencies:- Expertise and Strategic Leadership- Empathy – Project Management, Food Science, Process and Technical Expertise – Fiscal
Manu Weepu (Ngāi Tahu/Kāi Tahu): Co-founder/Director:
(Qualified Licensed Building Practitioner & Project Manager) Owner and director of MJ builders – An Auckland based Construction Company) Experience in project management, from initial design to completion of residential, industrial, and commercial builds.
Key competencies:- Commercial, leadership, pragmatic, and project management.
Rauhī is an Aotearoa-founded luxury wool wallcovering concept, transforming New Zealand strong wool into architectural textiles for the global interior design market. Designed and manufactured in Aotearoa, Rauhī aims to leverage natural performance with artisan craft – offering specifiers and designers a wallcovering that is acoustic, air-purifying, and fire-resistant, with a beautiful tactile finish that synthetic wallcoverings can’t match. Rauhī is a story of New Zealand provenance, designed for the world.
I hold a Bachelor of Design in Textiles with Distinction and over 25 years of creative practice spanning textiles and production. My textile credentials include the first design internship to Allbirds and a Best Awards Silver for Sustainable Product Design. I whakapapa to Te Ātiawa, Taranaki and Ngāti Ruanui and bring textile knowledge, a passion for natural materials, and a designer’s eye for where beauty and function converge.
I whakapapa to Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki. I’m a governance professional and experienced CEO with two decades leading a NZ-founded technology business which scaled internationally and exited to a global software group. I bring customer and commercial strategy, export experience, and a commitment to building long term value and collective good.
The Long Game bridges athletes and the business community.
Our athlete-transition program helps individuals discover who they are beyond sport. Athletes are supported to articulate their transferable strengths: leadership, resilience, discipline, teamwork. Meanwhile organisations gain access to exceptional individuals shaped by elite performance, with the chance to give back in a powerful way.
My name is Julia Steenson and I am of Ngāti Whātua, Waikato and Ngāpuhi descent. I am a co-founder of The Long Game with a diverse background as a lawyer, Royal Commissioner, governor, iwi leader, banker, yachtie, podcast producer and founder, to name just a few past and present roles.
Kia ora, my name is Toni (but most people call me ‘T’), and I am the Founder of The Long Game. I call Auckland home, and have had a 25-year Recruitment & HR career across international and national markets, from corporates to boutique firms. With 15 years in transition-focused project work, I bring experience and adaptability. A proud mum to two boys, aged 6 and 7, I successfully co-parent whilst embracing life with resilience. I bring a story (or two), a smile, and a genuine drive to live a life of Arete.
I am a globally recognised storyteller, leadership speaker, TV personality, and the creator of re:FRAME™ + co-founder of The Long Game — platforms designed to help people navigate identity, performance, and change across a lifetime.
I’m a storyteller at my core, a believer in connection as the key to everything, and an innovator in business. Over my career, I’ve worked in senior leadership roles at Air New Zealand, ANZ, and The Warehouse Group, alongside work in media, sport, television, and filmmaking.
My style at work and beyond is turning uncertainty into momentum, and reminding everyone that the future isn’t something we wait for… it’s something we create one story at a time.
Some people build careers by following a plan. But, I built mine by following my curiosity… and engaging in mahi that matters to others.
Tīrama Vital Limited is a Māori-led functional food company developing innovative products using Aotearoa-sourced bioactives (from land, sea, and native Māori botanicals). We are starting with functional jelly stick formats designed to make nutrition convenient and enjoyable. Our vision is to build a global wellness brand while creating value for our whenua, growers, and communities.
Bernece Maude (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a senior marketing leader with over 20 years of experience leading strategy, campaigns, and product launches across energy, healthcare, retail, and FMCG — in Aotearoa and internationally. She is now channelling that expertise into something more personal and purposeful. As founder of Tīrama Vital, Bernece is building a premium, natural wellness venture rooted in Māori botanical ingredients and Aotearoa-sourced bioactives from land and sea. It is inspired by hauora and mauri ora, and focuses on creating functional food products using Aotearoa’s natural resources.
