Impact Hub Waikato Brings Co-Creatives To South Waikato Creative Founders

Aspiring creatives from across the South Waikato District will soon have the opportunity to kickstart and grow their own creative business, thanks to a brand-new accelerator programme by Impact Hub Waikato.

Kicking off on September 9th, the Co-Creatives accelerator is designed to uplift and empower local creatives - and Impact Hub Waikato is calling on anyone aged 16-35 years with an artistic or creative skill, plus a desire to build an income stream or start a business through that skill, to apply to join.

Throughout the programme, a series of entrepreneurial and artistic modules will be delivered in-person and online at Impact Hub’s co-working space in Tokoroa, with modules such as Sounds of our Whakapapa (how cultural heritage can inform modern storytelling), Personal Branding (how artists can build a successful brand), and Artists and the Metaverse (perspectives on the potential opportunities for creative entrepreneurs in this space).

Impact Hub Waikato will be bringing some of Aotearoa’s most renowned artists and professionals will work with the cohort, including and multi-media producer Faiumu Matthew Salapu, known as Anonymouz, who produced pieces such as the historic opening soundscape for Jacinda Ardern’s 2021 apology ceremony for the dawn raids, and the song MASTA, featuring Tha Movement featured in Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Hobbs & Shaw movie. Impact Hub’s own Tijmen Doesborgh, former marketing manager for Red Bull in the Netherlands, will be facilitating the marketing modules. Programme participants will get the chance to not only rub shoulders with, but also learn from creatives & professionals like Anonymouz & Doesborgh, who are at the top of their game.

Nanise Ginnen - Co-Creatives Project Lead says that the ultimate goal of the programme is to bring strength and growth to the culture and arts community in the South Waikato, through enabling creative founders to grow confidence and build an income stream from their craft.

“Creatives in the South Waikato bring their own unique flavour and our community has a need for this talent to be uplifted, however the opportunities offered in Hamilton are not always accessible to them, or they are less likely to participate due to physical distance, economic or cultural factors. We’re thankful to Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage for their foresight in enabling a rural community to bring a programme of this caliber to South Waikato creative founders” Ginnen says.

The programme, supported by the Te Urungi: Innovating Aotearoa fund from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, was conceptualised in late-2021 by Hub Waikato’s team, Nanise Ginnen, Emma Sinclair, Cara Ryan and Esther Gathambo, together with Creative Waikato’s South Waikato Cultural Activator, Leafa Wilson.

Impact Hub Waikato has since been working in collaboration with Creative Waikato to bring the programme to life.

"There is a real vitality in creative practitioners having pathways to learn together, to share stories, and to explore diverse pathways towards thriving futures. The potential in an initiative that champions the voices of local established artists, and provides pathways for them to engage with emerging practitioners, alongside support for a purpose-driven career vision, is exciting. The more our local artists and creatives are supported to celebrate culture, tell local stories, and connect communities through creative activity, the more we will have a society that is able to adapt to the change that lies ahead" says Dr Jeremy Mayall, CEO at Creative Waikato.

The in-person components of the programme will take place in the South Waikato Impact Hub, located in the Tokoroa CBD. This multipurpose hub puts a spotlight on local entrepreneurs, startups, founders and young professionals. After their participation in the programme, participants can expect continued support and community through their Impact Hub membership

Applications for Co-Creatives can be filed via https://www.impacthubwaikato.co.nz/co-creatives/ between August 1st - August 27th. The programme will begin on September 9th with a noho marae stay, and culminate in two events - a Community Showcase on November 30, and an Awards Evening on December 01.

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