A celebration of southern Māori success in Tāhuna, Queenstown this week, culminated in acknowledging businesses and leaders from around the region at the KUMA Southern Māori Business Awards on Saturday night.
The awards gala dinner concluded five days of shining the spotlight on mātauranga Māori, with businesses from Otago, Southland and the Queenstown Lakes District coming together for mahi tahi, whanaungatanga, kōrero and tautoko.
Category recipients of the Te Kupeka Umaka Māori ki Āraiteuru (KUMA) Awards are:
He Tohu Rangatira Whakahaere Leadership Award (sponsored by Queenstown Lakes District Council): Winner: Kana Queenstown (Tāhuna); highly commended to Taste Nature (Ōtepoti).
He Tohu Pito Mata Emerging Business Leadership Award (sponsored by Poutama Trust): Winner: Whānau Consultancy Services (Murihiku); highly commended to Tuatahi Creatives (Tāhuna).
He Tohu Manaakitanga Customer Excellence Award (sponsored by Destination Queenstown): Winner: Encore Events (Ōtepoti); highly commended to Kia Kaha Chemist (Tāhuna) and Kiwi Skips (Murihiku).
He Tohu Whakawhanaungatanga Collaboration Award (sponsored by Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu): Winner: Skillsec (Ōtepoti); highly commended to Awarua Synergy (Murihiku).
He Tohu Tangata Tiriti Partnership Award (sponsored by Leadership Lab): Joint recipients: Kauati (Tāhuna) and Workforce Central Dunedin (Ōtepoti).
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Puna Pakihi – Recognition of Achievement Award: Kewe Consultants.
He Tohu Kōwhiri o te Whānui People’s Choice Award (sponsored by Davies Studio): Hapori Akoranga (Tāhuna).
The recipient of the coveted He Tohu Maumahara ki a Suzanne Spencer Award is Ōtepoti wahine pakihi Janine Kapa (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha), of Kia Māia Bicultural Communications.
This special award recognises a person or business’ contribution to and the continuation of Suzanne’s vision for economic self-sufficiency, and social and cultural affirmation.
“Janine embodies every aspect of the awards – from the individual categories right through to aligning with Suzanne’s kaupapa,” judge Karen Roos says. “She leads from behind and is a great supporter of Māori enterprise.”
Tāhuna-based KUMA board member Karmela Rapata says the cultural events leading up to the business awards were great drawcards, with high participation and attendance from Māori and non-Māori alike.
“It’s been pretty incredible. The response we’ve had from whānau and the wider community has been really good, with people expressing they’re wanting more next year. It shows the desire to offer wonderful whanaungatanga experiences – demonstrating how we really care and the uniqueness of the offerings.
“This has been a great start and allows us to think about growing these opportunities for more events next year,” Rapata adds.
This year’s awards theme centred on mātauranga, which embodies the profound significance of Māori knowledge, wisdom, and culture in the world of business.
