TupuToa Information

At TupuToa, our vision is to grow Māori and Pacific leaders for a greater Aotearoa. Our journey started in 2016 with 28 Māori and Pacific interns studying at tertiary level who were placed within various corporate roles in Auckland. We now anticipate an intern cohort of 350+ across Aotearoa and abroad, within corporate, government and community organisations. Māori and Pacific peoples make up a quarter of our population and yet are largely invisible in corporate New Zealand. This is more pronounced in corporate leadership. Only 17 per cent of New Zealand’s top 60 firms have an executive who identifies as other than European/Pākehā. This lopsided demographic creates a knowledge gap, deprives businesses of the benefits of diversity, and inhibits business growth. Our programmes aim to address the persistent inequalities facing our communities and disrupt intergenerational disadvantage. We work to reduce entry and advancement barriers which are biased against Māori and Pacific communities and support organisations in successfully recruiting and onboarding Māori and Pacific peoples.