Thrive Whanganui

02/06/2026

Ngā mihi to our Manu Atatū - Whanganui Māori Business Network for a great Networking hui this morning. Inspiring korero from our guest speaker Riana Tamati from The Zone. The highlight today was seeing new pakihi owners show up for their pakihi. Ka rawe!

30/05/2026

Don't forget whānau 🤩

Nau mai, haere mai Hine Takurua!

Join us as we welcome winter with a FREE coffee at Frank Bar & Eatery. We are excited to hear our guest speaker, Riana Tamati , founder of The Zone health and wellness hub, share her journey as a Māori business owner in Whanganui.

Come along, bring a friend, and let’s connect as we ease into the cooler season.

28/05/2026

Competition time! Don't miss out!
Māia Ora 🫑🌽🍅🥕🥬🫛🍄🧄🧅🍄‍🟫

20/05/2026

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has been part of our Whaikaha Wānanga journey.

It has been a privilege to walk alongside each of you as you continue to grow your business ideas, build confidence, and invest in a future for yourselves and your whānau. Your willingness to show up every Wednesday, lean into the learning, ask questions, support one another, and back yourselves has been inspiring to witness.

Starting and growing a business takes courage. It requires commitment, resilience, and the ability to keep moving forward even when things feel uncertain. Watching this rōpū embrace the process, participate fully, complete the mahi, and support each other along the way has made every session meaningful and memorable.

A special thank you to our incredible guest speakers:
Kiri McKee - Kākahu Manaaki - Kaumoe
Tash Hapi-Wikaira, - B&T Pakihi
Kathrine Grey - Sewlutions
Adrienne McLeod - Kai4Taniwha
Tamara Whenuaroa - TAmara's ReCreations, and
Emma Ngātai - 2PieNgātai

Thank you for uplifting our wānanga with your honesty, insights, lessons, and lived experiences in business. Your stories reminded us that every pakihi starts somewhere, and that success is built through persistence, adaptability, and believing in your kaupapa.

These are businesses and business owners to watch closely, and we look forward to seeing their continued growth and impact within our communities and beyond.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koe Kiri McKee for sharing your inspiring journey behind Hope Mobile Shower and Laundry and Kākahu Manaaki - Kahumoe with our Whaikaha tauira. As a Whaikaha alumni, we are incredibly proud of the impact you continue to make in our communities and grateful for your honesty, aroha, and wisdom you brought to our wānanga.

A special mihi as well to Sheena Maru, our pou throughout this 10-week journey. We truly appreciate all the behind-the-scenes mahi, support, and care you poured into making this wānanga possible, it was so cool having you alongside us every step of the way..

Congratulations to all of our tauira, and thank you for making every Wednesday something special.

Thats a wrap - one more Whaikaha wānanga to go for 2026! Follow us and stay up-to-date on the next offering 😁

12/05/2026

Riana how amazing! Well done and enjoy your time being celebrated! 🎉

06/05/2026

Week 8 already, whānau!
Today at our Whaikaha Wānanga, we were fortunate to have Emma Ngatai from 2PieNgatai at Whanganui Airport join us and share her business journey. Ngā mihi nui, Emma, for taking the time to kōrero with us and for delivering an incredible lunch as well. Your resilience and honesty were inspiring. Our tauira took away so much, especially your whakaaro around what balance really looks like, and the importance of strong relationships and support systems in business.
We were also lucky enough to try your signature Pie Salt (those little pepper grinders were a hit, gone in seconds! Like literally no looking back gone).
Ngā mihi again, Emma. Let’s continue to support local, e te whānau. 😀

01/05/2026

Boss moves, Riana Tamati - woohoo! 😀

RIANA TAMATI: IN THE ZONE 💥💪🏽🏋‍♀🏃‍♀️

We had a fantastic catch-up last week with the dynamic powerhouse that is Riana Tamati [and on her birthday, too!]. Riana is queen of The Zone and has created an environment that fosters whānau and culture, amid all the other active opportunities to get your body moving, recovering, and feeling stronger.

Look out for Riana featuring as our upcoming Women Who Lead star in our special Youth Week edition coming up in May. Stay tuned! ⭐

👉 Find out more about how to get yourself in The Zone by visiting: https://www.thezonenz.com/

29/04/2026

Today at Week 7 of our Whaikaha Wānanga, we had the privilege of welcoming back Whaikaha alumni, Tash Hapi-Wikaira (Intake 3), who joined us to share her pakihi, B&T Pakihi.
Alongside Bull, Tash creates beautifully crafted whakairo coffins, Māori-carved pieces born from a deeply meaningful beginning during a tangihanga. What started as a moment of purpose has grown into a powerful business journey, one that led her through the Whaikaha programme and now right to the edge of official launch.

Tash delivered an outstanding presentation today professional, heartfelt, and backed by a strong PowerPoint that truly brought her vision to life. We were all blown away. An inspiring reminder of what’s possible when purpose meets action. 😀

28/04/2026

We're so hyped to deliver our Be Your Own Boss wānanga for our Whānau Ora - Ngā Tini Whetū whānau at Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa. Ngā mihi nui to the wonderful Rangi McQuillan for your manaaki as always, is on point 😀