First held in 2015, DIGMYIDEA is an initiative which aims to inspire more Māori to engage in the digital economy by helping emerging Māori innovators turn their creative ideas into reality.
$10,000 worth of business start-up assistance is available to the overall winning entries in two categories including the ‘Mauri Oho’ youth category (15-25 years) and ‘Mauri Tū’ open category (26 and over).
Patrick McVeigh, of Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), says DIGMYIDEA entries must be exciting, innovative, digital and entrepreneurial. They can be anything from an app to a web programme, or even a digital extension of a more traditional business.
“Ideas should have the potential to create economic opportunities for Māori and other New Zealanders, as well as be considered for the export market,” says McVeigh.
“DIGMYIDEA aims to stimulate the interest and involvement of Māori within New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, which is an important part of building the technology sector, and a unique point of difference both at home and on the world stage.”
DIGMYIDEA 2015 winner Brittany Teei (Ngāi Tahu) from Auckland encourages people to be open-minded about entering the competition and to enjoy the experience.
“I didn’t know much about the tech sector when I entered my idea, Kids Coin; a digital literacy platform designed to teach kids about money in the classroom,” says Teei, “DIGMYIDEA gave me the opportunity to build new networks and relationships with people in the industry.”
Since launching two years ago, Kids Coin is now used in classrooms across Auckland and in the Cook Islands, and Teei says they’ve even had interest in San Francisco.
“My advice to DIGMYIDEA entrants is to make sure you research your business idea thoroughly, learn as much as you can about your competitors, and have some fun,” Brittany Teei says.
DIGMYIDEA entries should be submitted through the website www.digmyidea.nz by 31 March 2017.
Five finalists from each category will take part in a mentoring workshop known as DIGIwānanga on 13-14 of May.
The two overall DIGMYIDEA category winners will be announced at Techweek’17 on 14 May 2017.