Latest news with #YoungEnterpriseScheme
Otago Daily Times
27-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Innovative student takes to sustainable jewellery
Bayfield High School Young Enterprise Scheme student Abigail Gilfedder displays some of the earrings she has made out of wooden transport pallets. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Who would want to buy a set of earrings made out of an old wooden transport pallet? Initially, Abigail Gilfedder was not confident anyone would. But in the end, she decided to roll the dice and give it a go as part of her school's Young Enterprise Scheme. The Bayfield High School 18-year-old said she wanted to find a way to make classy, but sustainable and affordable earrings. "I have a huge collection — like over 100 pairs of earrings — but a lot of them are from businesses that have very bad business practices that I didn't realise at first. "I felt buyer's guilt because of that." So, when she saw an old wooden pallet about to be thrown out at school, the penny dropped for her. "I managed to rescue and recycle it. "It was just an old wooden pallet that was going to be chucked out, and I saw it as a way to upcycle. "There's plenty of them around, so materials are always in plentiful supply, which makes it so much more affordable." Abigail said she made the earrings herself, using a laser cutter. Using the laser meant she was able to create customised earrings at very low cost. "It kind of sounds like a laser cutter wouldn't be very good for the environment, but it's actually a lot better than people would think. "It has no byproducts, there's no wastage, and it keeps everything precise. "And any material I have left over can go straight back into the environment because it's natural." She said it took less than a minute to create one set of earrings, and she could make thousands of them out of just one wood pallet. The best part about it was that it did not feel like work for her. "It's fun. I love making jewellery. "And it's super easy as well. All it is, is attaching a hook and a jump ring. Simple as." She was one of about a dozen Otago secondary school students at the Young Enterprise Scheme Market Day in Dunedin's Wall Street Mall at the weekend, trying to sell their innovative products to the public. The young entrepreneurs had a wide range of products, ranging from DIY phone cases and handcrafted leather balm to original paintings, tea towels, and unique seasonings.
Otago Daily Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Student's book shares Māori culture in daily life
An Ōtepoti high school student and businesswoman says the success of her new book will be measured not in dollars, but in the impact it has for children seeking to embracing their culture. Otago Girls' High School student Ella Moses (Kāi Tahu) has launched her business, Tipu Tonu, as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme, a business innovation programme for high school pupils. Ella, the sole founder and chief executive of Tipu Tonu, has written Ki a Māori i ngā rā katoa — Be Māori every day. Her book follows a kōhine (girl) sharing what being Māori means in her everyday life and is written in a mix of te reo Māori, both standardised and Kāi Tahu dialects, and English. "I'm Māori, so that's a big part of my life, and education also is," Ella said. Otago Girl's High School student Ella Moses, 17, shows off a copy of her book, developed by her business, Tipu PETER MCINTOSH "Education is one of the most important things for keeping anything alive, so I really wanted to find a way that I could mix the two, finding a helpful way to educate children of my culture in an engaging way." She had written the book and used artificial intelligence to generate the illustrations, Ella said. The process had been "stressful" and writing a book was not something she had seen herself doing. "But it's been amazing and it's really been great seeing that people really love the idea." She had sold several copies ahead of her book launch next week and said she thought it would be "quite successful". "I'm hoping so, not for my sake or profit's sake, but for the sake of the kids I'm trying to help. "To make children in New Zealand, not just Māori children, but especially Māori children, feel seen and heard and comfortable in their culture. "Just realising the beauty of it in everyday life."
Otago Daily Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Balm a well-oiled business
They live together, go to school together and now they are in business together — naturally. St Hilda's Collegiate boarders Ellie Templeton, Meg Miller, Greer Egan and Emi Martin, all 17, are taking part in the Young Enterprise Scheme. The business studies students have developed a 100% natural leather restoring balm which they are selling under the brand Nature's Prime. With three from farming backgrounds, the group was passionate about promoting primary industries and finding an alternative use for products. They researched what leather conditioners were on the market and, while some had similar ingredients, none were made with all New Zealand-sourced natural ingredients which was what they wanted to achieve, they said. They also wanted a balm that would appeal to both urban and rural consumers, suitable for all leather goods — from bags, shoes and furniture to saddlery, belts and boots. The balm was made from beeswax, lanolin, avocado oil and sunflower oil and it was manufactured at Beauty NZ in Mosgiel. That followed a lot of testing — including most things leather at their own homes — and also validation from some well-known companies including Hinterland, Honest Wolf, Merchant and McKinlays Footwear. Meanwhile, their felted wool applicators came from Wool Technologies in Christchurch. Made from 100% New Zealand wool, they were recycled offcuts from woollen wine bags. All four had their own positions in the business: Ellie was chief executive and production director, Greer and Emi shared the role of chief financial officer and administration while Meg was tasked with communications and marketing and was really hoping to get Nature's Prime on television. The four were grateful for the opportunity to take part in Young Enterprise, with Ellie saying it had shown them the practical side of what business or commerce could look like. Having to approach businesses and suppliers had given them a confidence boost and they also had to have confidence in their product. They had learned valuable business and practical skills "rather than just constantly learning out of books". The students, who said they were grateful for the support they had received — particularly from their families — hoped Nature's Prime might continue in the background when they went to university.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Young entrepreneurs pitch their products
Tote bags, T-shirts and skincare creams were among the products pitched by aspiring entrepreneurs from across Central Otago at a Dragons' Den -inspired event at Cromwell College on Friday. Student teams from Cromwell, Alexandra, Queenstown and Wānaka taking part in the Young Enterprise Scheme (Yes) fronted up to judging panels of local business specialists with three minutes to showcase their goods. Regan Powell, who looks after Yes in the South Island, said participating pupils used the school year to set up and run a real business. The aim of Friday's quick-fire business pitching sessions was for students to be given feedback they could use to further grow and execute their ideas, Mr Powell said. First up was Scrub and Glow chief executive Anika Croy, of Cromwell College, who kicked off her business pitch with: ''In a market saturated with synthetic skincare, we stand out''. The team had done early market research that suggested a gap in the market for natural skin creams at a price point younger people could afford. Scrub and Glow are collaborating with Central Lakes Family Services, committing to donating 5% of company profits to the social service provider. It was important for them to ''give back'', they said. They were not the only business showing a social conscience. Conscious Carry sells canvas tote bags, complete with practical pockets and printed with a choice of two original designs drawn by creative team member Lizzie Engstrom. Each design supports one of two charities — the Cancer Society or Our Seas Our Future — with the students opting to donate $3 per bag sale to the organisations. Conscious Carry chief executive Lani Jones said each of the people behind the business had a personal story to tell of a loved one impacted by cancer, so it felt good for their business to be able to give back. Lani said standing in front of the judges had been ''nerve-racking'', but knowing their product had given them confidence. The team had worked out they needed to sell 100 bags to make $900 profit, with their break-even point reached at 18 bags sold. They had also already made it over their first gnarly business hurdle — problem solving a printing defect in their prototype stage that ultimately saw them ditch ink printing in favour of vinyl transfers. All the young business owners had been partnered with mentors from within the local business community to offer support on developing, financing, marketing and distributing their products and services. Mr Powell said the success of the scheme came down to three things: strong support from the business community, teachers willing to back it in schools and keen young people. The business school at the University of Otago had also stepped up, covering entry fees for all Otago school pupils taking part in the programme, he said.
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Fingers in pies aplenty for entrepreneur
Start counting the various groups and organisations Madison Duffy is involved in and you quickly start to run out of fingers. But there is a common thread; Ms Duffy (23), who is completing a bachelor of entrepreneurship at the University of Otago, is passionate about entrepreneurship, and that flows through to all her extra-curricular activities. She has recently been appointed operations assistant for the Global Entrepreneurship Network (NZ), the national affiliate of the Global Entrepreneurship Network which operates programmes in 200 countries. The organisation is aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. The New Zealand arm — which is a not-for-profit trust — was founded in 2019 to connect and grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ms Duffy was excited about her new role, which would be remote — meaning she could continue to be based in Dunedin, a city she fell in love with while visiting a friend. Originally from Tauranga, Ms Duffy moved to Wellington in 2021 to study at Victoria University, but she found it was not the best fit for her. Spinal surgery, due to a congenital condition, meant she took a break from study as 28 screws and two rods were inserted in her spine. Later, while visiting a friend, she was captivated by the city and the university campus and decided to "take a leap of faith" and move south. Studying politics, economics, finance and management were all subjects that interested her, along with a minor in sustainable business. She also quickly got involved in the city's entrepreneurship ecosystem. Growing up, she loved business studies at secondary school and was involved in the long-running Young Enterprise Scheme for two years. She loved the environment of building a business and learning all the different aspects involved. The first year in the scheme, her company made recycled glass cheeseboards featuring an image of Mount Maunganui, followed by bamboo straws the second year. Last year, she did the Audacious business challenge with a business idea for accessible period products for those with mobility issues. This year, she is co-president of the newly-established Student Innovation Collective — which she hoped would be around for a long time — set up to bridge the gap between the polytechnic and university, and wider ecosystem, and running the likes of networking events and pitch nights. She also did a workshop with The King's Trust Aotearoa New Zealand several weeks ago and enjoyed being with a broad range of both students and non-students with different business ideas. She is also back to Audacious this year, her project looking at whether one platform for entrepreneurs and funders to go to and find everything they needed was viable. And then there is Momentum, the national student-led investment committee programme which provides access to advice, connections and investment opportunities to students and start-ups throughout New Zealand. She has been on that committee for about a year and she enjoyed the mix of students and industry professionals. If that was not enough, then she was also a volunteer with drug checking service provider Know Your Stuff, and has a part-time job. Ms Duffy acknowledged it could be a challenge finding a balance with all her studies, along with extra-curricular activities but she seemed able to do it, despite her planner being "very full all the time". "I'm doing something I'm really passionate about and really enjoy and it doesn't feel like hard slog. I know myself a lot better and what I need to do to maintain that balance," she said. Hopefully she would finish her degree at the end of the year and, while she was still keeping her options open, there was a possibility of doing a master's degree in sustainable business next year. Eventually, she would like to work in sustainable consulting or sustainable policy, and having her own business or women-led business for that would be her goal In the meantime, she said she had found the "perfect place" to be in Dunedin, and she had been inspired by other entrepreneurs in the city, such as the "gin ladies" behind Dunedin Craft Distillers. A university paper on social and sustainable entrepreneurship involved field trips to Southern Youth Development and Cargill Enterprises, which she particularly enjoyed. "Just seeing how business can be for good as well as profit — there doesn't have to be the trade," she said. This week, Ms Duffy received a top student award for that work which she was delighted about, particularly as it was her preferred area of business.
