Business Growth

Our Business Growth team supports local businesses in their growth and innovation and fosters a stronger, more connected regional business community.

How we can help

Our team operates across the entire Tairāwhiti region and assists businesses in connecting with the right people, advice, and resources they need to grow.

Tairawhiti AI Workshops

AI is a global megatrend reshaping every sector. As the Economic Development Agency, the Trust wants to empower our people to be confident and capable of getting the best out of AI.

The Tairawhiti AI Workshops delivered in partnership with Aroha AI help communities across the rohe learn how to use AI safely, ethically and effectively, even if you’re starting with the basics.

Our approach is practical, focusing on real tasks from your own mahi rather than generic training. We’ll show you tricks and tips to get the best out of a range of AI tools, while also protecting your data and intellectual property.

Tairawhiti AI Workshops
Strengthen and grow your business

As the local delivery agency for the Regional Business Partner Network, Trust Tairāwhiti offers a range of services to strengthen and grow businesses.

We have dedicated business growth advisors who can help you navigate the range of support available and connect you with the right people, information and resources to support your next step.

The RBP management capability fund helps businesses access training and coaching services so that business owners can access development opportunities across a wide range of areas, including marketing, finance, leadership, and sustainability.

Visit Regional Business Partner
Innovation, research and development

New Zealand’s innovation agency, Te Pokapū Auaha Callaghan Innovation empowers the innovators and entrepreneurs of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The organisation’s primary mandate is to activate innovation and accelerate commercialisation to help businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand.

As the regional partner for Callaghan Innovation, the Trust’s business growth team can help connect you to funding and scientific expertise, R&D support, collaboration between researchers, scientists, and industry and support the commercialisation of ideas with positive impact.

Visit Callaghan Innovation
Feasibility Fund

The Trust’s Feasibility Fund enables research to assess the viability and potential success of projects that aspire to benefit communities and economic growth in Tairāwhiti.

It supports entrepreneurs, businesses, and innovators in developing feasibility studies or business cases to determine investment potential. Projects should aim to attract investment from both the Government and private sector, studying new and emerging opportunities.

Please note grants are limited to $25,000, and applicants are required to contribute financially to the feasibility project. This fund is solely for research and feasibility purposes and can’t be used for any operational or capital expenditures.

Read application guidelines

Apply now
Workforce development

We engage with local employers, schools and training providers to boost the regional workforce and support quality, well-paid job creation.

A strong workforce with a diverse mix of skills and experience is key to the sustainability of our businesses and the wider economy.

The Trust is a member of CARE – Care Action Reciprocity leading to Employment – a local forum that oversees workforce capacity and capability. Cabinet also appointed CARE as the Regional Skills Leadership Group for Tairāwhiti, which is a nationwide initiative to meet future skills and workforce needs.

Regional Workforce Plans

Business resources

Useful links and online business resources. Use tags to find what you're looking for.

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Latest News

Alex Hyland Plumbing
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Fri 22 Aug 2025
When Kelly and Alex Hyland took over Steve Wolter Plumbing to establish Alex Hyland Plumbing, they inherited a solid customer base, skilled kaimahi, and a well-respected business. Like many new…
Student grants AgFirst
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Fri 15 Aug 2025
AgFirst Gisborne is helping shape the future of agriculture in Tairāwhiti with support from the Callaghan Innovation Research and Development (R&D) Experience Grant.

As the regional delivery partner…
Economic impact assessment of SH2 resilience initiatives
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Tue 3 Dec 2024
Trust Tairāwhiti is partnering with Hawke’s Bay Regional Economic Development Agency HBREDA) to commission an assessment of the potential economic benefits of improving resilience on State Highway 2…
Tairāwhiti is open for aerospace
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Wed 4 Sep 2024
Trust Tairāwhiti has invested in exploring the establishment of an aerospace sector in the region with the intention of unlocking significant economic, social, environmental, and cultural…
Tairāwhiti film office in the works
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Fri 23 Aug 2024
The Trust has approved $54,500 in feasibility funding to support establishing a Regional Film Office (RFO) in Tairāwhiti, with the aim of attracting film industry opportunities and sector growth…
Puku Ora
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Thu 1 Aug 2024
The wellbeing model Te Whare Tapa Whā inspires the founders of Puku Ora to strive towards their vision: To live in our highest form of wellness.
Mātai Medical Research Institute
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Thu 1 Aug 2024
When Dr Samantha Holdsworth presented her vision for the Mātai Medical Research Institute to Trust Tairāwhiti in early 2019, the Trust could see that the concept had transformative potential.
Rawhiti Law
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Thu 1 Aug 2024
Tairāwhiti lawyer Riki Donnelly is the recently appointed Crown Solicitor in Gisborne — the first locally based crown solicitor in almost twenty years.
StardustME — Rocketed into outer space
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Mon 21 Aug 2023
A Gisborne business built around a surprising synergy of the technology, space and funeral sectors has rocketed from start-up into outer space. StardustME provides space memorial flights to celebrate…
Strong uptake of Digital Boost platform
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Mon 14 Nov 2022
Trust Tairāwhiti has been partnering with the Ministry of Businesses, Innovation and Employment and local organisations, Ask Alice, Tai Tech and Tolaga Bay Innovation to provide digital skills…
Youthtown takes over Licence to Work Programme
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Mon 14 Feb 2022
As the Licence to Work (LTW) youth employability programme enters its sixth year in Tairāwhiti, not-for-profit organisation Youthtown will take over the programme from Trust Tairāwhiti.
Free Climate Action Workshop for Tairāwhiti businesses
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Wed 27 Oct 2021
Local businesses looking to reduce their climate footprint are invited to attend a free online Climate Action Workshop next week.
Game of Life
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Tue 11 May 2021
Trust Tairāwhiti was one of the key players in the successful launch of a new careers event connecting local employers with students.
Mātai
- Business development
- /Distributions
- /Business growth and innovation
- Mon 7 Dec 2020
Mātai is a not-for-profit research centre based in Tairāwhiti Gisborne, focused on enhancing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Business support - Regional Business Partners
- Business development
- /Business growth and innovation
- Tue 1 Dec 2020
2020 has been a challenging time for many of our local businesses. However, Trust Tairāwhiti and the local Regional Business Partners (RBP) team are enormously proud of how small and medium…

Our people

Joe Williams

Business Growth and Innovation Manager
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Karen Fenn

Business Growth Advisor
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Ora Te Hau

Business Growth Advisor
Connect by Email Connect by Phone
Daljeet Cameron

Business Growth Advisor
Connect by Email Connect by Phone

Find out more

Business resources

Find what you are looking for. Useful links and online business resources.
Economic insights

We engage Infometrics to provide insights from the latest economic data and trends. The quarterly economic monitor provides a focused and timely insight into how the Tairāwhiti economy has performed…
Tourism

As the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) we are tasked with managing tourism and its opportunities and impacts for the benefit of Tairāwhiti communities.
Tourism resources

As the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) we are tasked with managing tourism and its opportunities and impacts for the benefit of Tairāwhiti communities.

Our Business Growth team supports local businesses in their growth and innovation and fosters a stronger, more connected regional business community.

How we can help

Tairawhiti AI Workshops

Strengthen and grow your business

Innovation, research and development

Feasibility Fund

Workforce development

Business resources

Contact us

Latest News

Alex Hyland Plumbing

Student grants AgFirst

Economic impact assessment of SH2 resilience initiatives

Tairāwhiti is open for aerospace

Tairāwhiti film office in the works

Puku Ora

Mātai Medical Research Institute

Rawhiti Law

StardustME — Rocketed into outer space

Strong uptake of Digital Boost platform

Youthtown takes over Licence to Work Programme

Free Climate Action Workshop for Tairāwhiti businesses

Game of Life

Mātai

Business support - Regional Business Partners

Our people

Joe Williams

Karen Fenn

Ora Te Hau

Daljeet Cameron

Find out more

Business resources

Economic insights

Tourism

Tourism resources