Te Ara Pōtiki: What the Experience Really Gives You

Campbell (left) and Erena (right).

20 JANUARY 2026: Twelve months on from the inaugural Te Ara Pōtiki cohort returning from the United States, the impact of the programme is far easier to see.

For Erena Calder Hawkins and Campbell Gin, the two participants selected for the first cohort, the experience was not simply about spending time overseas or gaining exposure to the US agri food system. It was about growth, challenge, and being trusted to operate in unfamiliar environments where expectations were high and comfort was limited.

Both were embedded in early stage agrifood technology companies, working on real problems inside fast moving businesses. Both returned home with a different view of themselves and what they were capable of.

As Erena reflects a year later, the most valuable part of Te Ara Pōtiki was not technical knowledge or market insight.

“The ultimate value for me wasn’t the US market. It was the personal and professional development.”

That sentiment is echoed by Campbell, who entered the programme in a stable, predictable role.

“Before I left, I was comfortable. I was in a 9–5 job, I knew where my next pay cheque was coming from, and that security is hard to walk away from.”

Being placed in a high performance environment, surrounded by ambitious people who were pushing boundaries, forced both participants to reflect deeply on their own paths.

“Being part of the programme, and being surrounded by people who were high achieving and ambitious, made me stop and ask myself a hard question: am I doing enough?”

That question was not driven by comparison or self doubt.

“It’s not about feeling bad or like you’re behind. It’s more about seeing what’s possible.”

For both Erena and Campbell, that shift in mindset had lasting consequences. After returning to Aotearoa, both made the decision to step away from their roles and explore entrepreneurial pathways. The programme gave them the confidence to back themselves and the perspective to see opportunity where they may not have before.

Erena describes it simply.

“When I got back, I realised how much I had grown. The programme opened my eyes to what else was possible.”

Beyond individual career decisions, Te Ara Pōtiki also reinforced the value Māori perspectives bring to global agrifood innovation.

“Māori innovation is more than branding. It’s innovation that is humble and rooted in its people.”

That people centred approach, grounded in responsibility and long term thinking, stood in contrast to what both participants observed in some international settings. It also highlighted the opportunity Aotearoa has to lead differently on the global stage.

For future cohorts, Te Ara Pōtiki offers more than an overseas placement. It offers space to grow, permission to question what comes next, and the confidence to pursue it.

For investors and partners, it demonstrates the long term value of investing in people. When Māori talent is supported to operate globally, the return is not just individual success, but stronger leadership and deeper capability across the agrifood sector.

The full stories from Erena and Campbell go deeper into the realities of the experience, the challenges they faced, and how Te Ara Pōtiki continues to shape their journeys.

Read Erena Calder Hawkins’ full story here.
Read Campbell Gin’s full story here.

Sometimes the most important outcomes of a programme only become clear once people have had time to step forward on their own terms.