VAKA

Our CEO Jesse Armstrong will be speaking at this event next month so tune in if you can! We’re super pumped and can’t wait.

Our 2024 Speakers and Performers are here!

From reimagining spaces and places for communities to thrive - to innovative marine biology conservation - to the inspiring story behind the world’s most beloved umbrella and much more - we have an incredible line-up of individuals who took the leap for the betterment of humanity.

Kia ora Ash Holwell, Bex Howells, Greig Brebner, Apera Woodfine, Dr Nicole Miller, Rachel Thomas, Dr. Shelley Brunskill-Matson, Jake Dylan Nash, Kii Small, Jesse Armstrong, and Telesia Tanoa’i.

To learn more about our speakers and Performers, visit https://www.tedxwellington.com/2024-speakers/

Get tickets to the premier TEDxWelly event here 👉https://eventa.nz/tedx-wellington-2024

Kicking off 2024 with a full team, welcoming Simone as Operations Lead! It’s going to be an epic year and we’re already well under way with our upcoming projects.

Kia ora whānau,

An update for you all.

Yesterday we had a zui with the team at Puoro Jerome, to wānanga about our Ocarina Puoro.

The kōrero was hearty and productive. There were some things we agree to disagree on, and we also acknowledge there are things we can and need to do better.

We want to send our aroha to everyone who has been affected by this kaupapa - we know many people who love it, and we now know people for whom it has brought mamae, and that's not okay.

We’ll be getting to work straight away on making some improvements to this kaupapa, and still take the time to do it properly.

We’ll keep you updated as things progress.

Appreciate you fullas, thanks for being here with us on this haerenga.

Ka nui te aroha,

Jesse Armstrong (Vaka CEO and Creator of Ocarina Puoro) and Manawawharepu Udy (Konei Founder)

This is our mission in action - igniting the next generation of STEAM Entrepreneurs. We had a great time working with Zoe, a young business owner who had a dream to bring her business Love and Limes to life.

Based on her logo, we designed and 3D printed a custom ink and wax stamp for her packaging. We were thrilled to see her use it 😁

Ka rawe, Zoe! We look forward to watching your business grow and succeed! 😎

You can find her business on instagram www.instagram.com/loveandlimesnz/

Know of any Rangatahi looking to become entrepreneurs? Talk to us at [email protected] to see how we can help.

It has been such a full on month! 😮‍💨

We have been travelling around our beautiful country doing something that we love.. Inspiring youth to dream big! 😍

In the past 4 weeks our teams have run our workshops in... Whangaparāoa, Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne, Hastings, Taranaki, Whanganui, Palmerston North and Wellington!! 🤩

Our e-STEAM¹⁰¹ workshops give our rangatahi a taste of the world of 3D printing and shows them what that world has to offer. 🌎

From designing meaningful taonga, to real life experiences around entrepreneurship. We aim to spark a new generation of creators, innovators and entrepreneurs.

We love our mahi 😁🤍

Find out how you can have our team run e-STEAM¹⁰¹ workshops in your community here www.vaka.co.nz/lets-talk.

We had an incredible time at Festival for the Future, held at the amazing Tākina events centre last week ❤️

From our CEO Jesse Armstrong participating in the Digital Equity panel, to our team who met inspiring people with amazing kaupapa. 😎

Nga mihi to Inspiring Stories for putting on such an awesome event! Our cups are full and we are ready to mahi! 🔥🔥🔥

We have added another wahine toa to our whānau! Please welcome Cherie Shepherd, our newest e-STEAM¹⁰¹ Facilitator. 😍

Cherie is passionate about molding the future leaders of tomorrow. She loves travel, nature, her whānau and rugby. With a background in business, marketing, transport, logistics, event management, and mental health, Cherie is naturally creative and has a developing interest in digital creativity. She has a range of skills in team management, tactical thinking, risk management, facilitation, and developmental training. Cherie is of Māori descent from Ngāti Kahu, Waikato & Ngāpuhi.

Super excited to have Cherie on board! 😎

Meet the rest of our team at www.vaka.co.nz/whanau

We are proud to announce another addition to our whānau, Ruarangi Pewhairangi! 🤩

Ruarangi (aka Rua) is a technology whisperer with a deep love for all things tech. His current focus is in live production, drones, and vehicles with a keen interest in 3D design, and 3D printing. Rua enjoys troubleshooting tech problems which he finds to be very fulfilling. He is a natural tinkerer who loves to understand and automate technology. Rua is the 3rd of 6 children and is of Māori descent from Ngāti Porou. He is also developing a keen interest in personal finance and entrepreneurship.

Again we are super proud having Rua as a part of our team, he's so nice we had to say it twice! 😁

Meet the rest of our growing whānau at www.vaka.co.nz/whanau.

We have been busy running workshops all over NZ! Because of this, we have recruited more facilitators to help us with our mahi! 🔥🔥🔥

Introducing Patrick O'Halloran, VAKA's newest e-STEAM¹⁰¹ Facilitator!

Patrick, is a gifted artist of Māori and Niuean descent with whakapapa to Rongomaiwahine and Alofi. He is a natural-born creative who has incredible drawing and painting skills. Patrick is interested in storytelling through film and art. He aspires to share meaningful stories that make a positive impact on others and loves the process of creative teaching. With his boundless talent and creative curiosity, Patrick is making moves that will surely paint a bright future for him and those he is able to teach.

Patrick is a natural at 3D modelling and has been an awesome edition to our team!

Meet the rest of our team at www.vaka.co.nz/whanau 😎