Tui Te Hau

Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Te Arawa

Tui is the founder of Bird Island, a consultancy with expertise in the design and delivery of innovation and entrepreneurial programmes for corporates, government agencies and communities.

Formerly, the lead of the Māori enterprise team for New Zealand’s international trade agency Tui supported the export aspirations of major indigenous entities and provided in-market support to NZ exporters as Trade Commissioner Melbourne. Then she switched to the opposite end of the spectrum working with start-ups in the business incubation/accelerator space.

After a stint at Te Papa (National Museum), setting up Mahuki, the world's first business accelerator for the culture and heritage space, she led the public experience team at the National Library of NZ.  In this role, she supported efforts to tell our nation’s rich and sometimes difficult stories.

Tui currently works with entities focused on impact investing for an ageing population, STEM education, student entrepreneurship, a global knowledge exchange programme in the agritech sector and supporting the next generation of Maori and Pacific creatives.  She holds governance roles with Dev Academy, Mary Potter Hospice and Endometriosis NZ and is an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Atom, Victoria University.