Eligibility For This Category

Your company is registered in NZ and meets at least two of the following criteria:

• Founded in NZ
• Global headquarters are in NZ
• At least 20% of your employees reside in NZ

In Entering This Category

• You are able to establish a strong identity as a Māori technology company and meet at least one of the following criteria:
  • You have at least 50% Māori ownership.
  • Your single largest shareholder is Māori.
  • You are able to satisfy the judges that you qualify as a Māori entity covering a range of factors including shareholding, iwi, your team and vision.
• You have developed a hi-tech company that strongly identifies with the Māori heritage of its founders, teams or products and have achieved at least one commercial sale (this excludes grants and investment) for the calendar year ending 31 December 2025.
• You may be a very young company, or one that has taken several years to get out of the starting blocks.
• You will be able to tell an exciting story of innovation, market opportunity, competitive advantage and how you plan to achieve the goals you’ve set, including how identifying as a Māori company will give you an even greater chance of success.
• Upon request, you can supply the judges with evidence to support any claims made in this entry.