Award Categories

Best Emerging and Newly Created Māori Enterprise

This category is suited to Māori businesses who have been operating for less than 18 months.

To be successful you will need to demonstrate that as a start-up enterprise your business is worthy of being judged best in its category.

The business can operate in the Enterprise, Service or Non-Profit Organisation sector with the judges considering the impact the business has created within the community within the short timeframe of operation.

Among other things the judges will consider knowledge of business process, governance, growth, and team development as benchmarks for best in this category.


Best Not for Profit Māori Enterprise Award

This category is open to any business which operates within the Not-for-Profit sector and its definition of NPO (sporting organisation, Church, Registered Charity, or entity).

As a Not-for-Profit business the successful entrant will need to demonstrate not only excellence in business but also accept responsibility for community service and its social impact.

To be best in this category the judges will require the entrant to demonstrate that the stakeholders, Board, and team accept and embrace knowledge of community service and display excellent management application within the constraints of the sector.


Māori Enterprise Award (employing less than 14 staff)

This category is available for any business owner/s whose business impact is significant to be judged best in the category.

To be successful the judges will consider how the business interacts with its environment and best demonstrates knowledge of it within the wider community.

To be successful the judges will expect that the business is known and respected by its peers, competitors, and stakeholders.

The business can demonstrate its development of excellent systems, can demonstrate it is a market leader and it has created a leading and welcoming environment for its team, customers, and stakeholders.


Māori Enterprise Award (employing more than 14 staff)

This category is available for any business owner/s whose business impact is significant to be judged best in the category.

To be successful the judges will consider how the business interacts with its environment and best demonstrates knowledge of it within the wider community.

To be successful the judges will expect that the business is known and respected by its peers, competitors, and stakeholders.

The business can demonstrate its development of excellent systems, can demonstrate it is a market leader and it has created a leading and welcoming environment for its team, customers, and stakeholders.


Excellence in Environmental Awareness and Management Award

Entrants in this category can be across the spectrum of business sectors.

This category acknowledges the unique affinity that Māori business has within Taitokerau because of the environment it works in.

To be successful the entrant must demonstrate sound knowledge of the responsibility that business has towards environmental management and clearly show a linkage over how environmental management contributes to their business success.

The judges are looking for a business that respects their environment, contributes to development in a sustainable way and are known by stakeholders to be environmentally friendly.


Rangatahi Development Award

This category is suited to young entrants aged 18 – 24.  There is no restriction over how long the person has been in business.

To be successful, the entrant will demonstrate leadership and business skillsets.  As a young person you actively participate in the community and judges will consider the unique impact your business activity has on its environs.

The judges will take into consideration business process, innovation, team, balance, and business direction for best in this category.


Māori Business Leader Award

This Category is the Māori Business Leader Award.

Nominations are welcome from a public entity/organization supporting an individual.

The judges will take into consideration the full range of leadership skills, the diverse nature of skillsets, influence in business and community, demonstrated attributes of individual achievements, achievement of collective outcomes, innovation, work/life balance, and future direction for best in this category across all sectors and industries.


Māori Rangatahi Leader Award

This Category is the Māori Rangatahi Leader Award.

Nominations are welcome from a public entity/organization supporting an individual.

The judges will take into consideration the full range of skill sets, influence with their peers, community, demonstrated attributes of individual achievements, achievement of collective outcomes, innovation, work/life balance, and future direction for best in this category.


Supreme Award: Taitokerau Māori Business of the Year Award

This category is awarded to the overall Business owner/s who has been judged best Taitokerau Māori Business of the Year. An applicant will be assessed across all the categories of business activity to be awarded this award.


Download an Application Form