Growing Tāmaki with tech innovation

Tāmaki Regeneration Company is proud to be the major sponsor and partner of Hack Tāmaki 2021, a 48-hour tech event hosted in the Tāmaki area, March 26 to 28. We’ve teamed up with collaborative leadership and innovation specialists, The Kerry Topp Collective, T3W, Datacom and Tāmaki’s own Jacobsen, to present this game-changing event.

The purpose of Hack Tāmaki is to kick-start an innovative and inclusive business ecosystem to support the regeneration of Tāmaki’s multicultural community and drive real job opportunities for local people. “My hopes for the Tāmaki community is that this hackathon plants a seed and allows the innovation ecosystem to really start to take off in the area,” says Rennee Woolcott, Chief Impact and Innovation Officer at Jacobsen.

Hackathons emerged from Silicon Valley in the 90’s. From the outset they were designed to bring bright minds together for 48-hours, to focus on a single business problem, and create impactful solutions. “A hackathon is a time-bound, theme-based, creative activity that brings teams together to solve challenges from businesses and communities quickly,” says Kerry Topp, Director of The Kerry Topp Collective.

Hack Tāmaki is a great example of a meeting between local business and the tech industry, where a collaborative, diverse and inclusive approach is paired with solution-based, tech thinking to propel business growth and social and economic transformation.

Tāmaki Regeneration Company and our Hack Tāmaki partners, have taken the traditional hackathon framework and extended its purpose to promote and grow not only solutions for businesses but also to allow for accelerated social and economic growth for participants, particularly young Māori and Pasifika, who may have great ideas and potential but limited exposure and access to commercial opportunities. “Amazing things happen when people come together to solve problems and Tāmaki is so full of innovators,” says Kerry. “We want to bring business and this amazing community together to help everyone flourish.”

In addition to our major partners, we’ve also teamed up with a number of smaller Tāmaki businesses including Fusion, Ika Bowl, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and We Can All East Project (WCAEP). Tāmaki College and other education providers including Yoobee have been enlisted to ensure we’re connecting all the dots and getting the Hack Tāmaki message to the people who’ll benefit from it the most. And to top it all off, we have some amazing judges on board, including Dr. Michelle Dickinson (Nano Girl) and other renowned industry leaders.

It’s all part of TRC’s dual purpose to not only build homes but also to grow strong, healthy communities, where people have access to the opportunities they need to make the most of their potential.

Renee is looking forward to taking part in the first-ever Hack Tāmaki event. “It’s an awesome experience of meeting amazing people, having a lot of fun, going through an incredible journey from the start of a problem to a final presentation of an idea, and hopefully some of those will go on to be commercialised. There’s amazing mentors involved and it’s such a fun and exciting weekend and opportunity to make a real difference.”

Whether you’re looking to develop a career in the tech industry or you have a brewing start-up business, we want to hear your ideas and help them take seed.