Empowering Rangatahi in Tech

Creating culturally-rooted pathways into tech careers across Aotearoa and the Globe.

Our Vision

Whenua Tech envisions a digital future where every rangatahi can thrive in tech without compromising their cultural identity. We intend to be Aotearoa and Australia’s leading bridge between education, industry, and youth, empowering the next generation to innovate, create, and lead through culturally grounded, future-ready pathways.

Our vision is anchored in the holistic model of Te Whare Tapa Whā, ensuring that technical excellence is matched with personal and cultural well-being.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to close the gap between learning and employment by creating a structured, inclusive incubator that connects educators, industry, and rangatahi.

Whenua Tech does not operate as a traditional educator, it acts as a bridge. Through co-designed pathways, real-world projects, mentorship, and cultural support, we equip young people with technical skills, soft skills, and career readiness.

By prioritising cultural identity and aligning education with employer needs, we ensure that rangatahi are not just participants in the digital economy but architects of its future.

Kete 1: Educators

Reimagining Learning from the Inside Out

We are looking to partner with schools, wānanga, and training providers to ensure the education being delivered is relevant, practical, and culturally aligned.

Whenua Tech helps educators weave tech-aligned curriculum into their learning environments without adding to their load. We provide resource kits, run co-design workshops, and facilitate industry-informed updates to ensure rangatahi are learning what employers actually need, for example, cybersecurity protocols, AI tools, and Māori data sovereignty practices.

Educators don’t walk alone; they walk with us, side by side, toward innovation.

Kete 2: Industry

Real Needs, Real Projects, Real People

We don’t teach in a vacuum. Our industry kete is filled with the voices of local tech supporters, from startups to global firms who we work with to co-design pathways that matter.

Whenua Tech acts as a translator between the fast-moving world of tech and the structured world of education. We gather industry / employer needs, create pathway blueprints, and invite those same employers to mentor, host micro-internships, and directly hire from our rangatahi pipeline.

Industry isn’t a guest at the table, they’re a builder of the table.

Kete 3: Pipeline

Cultivating Future Ready Rangatahi

This is the living ecosystem where it all comes together. Our pipeline is a digital and human platform that tracks rangatahi progress, highlights their portfolios, and connects them with employers, mentors, and each other.

Through project-based learning, soft skills development (anchored in Te Whare Tapa Whā), and identity-safe spaces, we don’t just mentor youth for the tech industry, we nurture them to lead it.

Every project, every cohort, and every job placement is a strand in a braided rope connecting learning to livelihood.

The Whenua Bridge

Whenua Tech is not a course provider, a training centre, or a traditional educator. We are the strategic bridge that links education, industry, and cultural identity, empowering rangatahi to move from potential to purpose.

Our kaupapa is built on the strength of the Three Kete: Educators, Industry, and Pipeline. These kete aren’t siloed, they are interwoven, informing each other in real time. When aligned, they transform into a living, breathing system of impact we call The Whenua Bridge.

Through this bridge:

Educators gain real-world, culturally aligned tools to support rangatahi without additional burden.
Industry accesses a values-aligned, skills-ready talent pipeline built on trust, identity, and collaboration.
Rangatahi navigate a clear, culturally safe pathway into digital careers where they lead, not follow.

This isn’t about short-term training, it’s about long-term transformation.

Whenua Tech:

Bridges the gap between education and opportunity, by co-designing experiences that translate directly to employability.
Bridges the gap between community and industry, by embedding tikanga Māori into every partnership and process.
Bridges the gap between who rangatahi are today and who they’re becoming, through mentorship, cultural integrity, and digital fluency.

The Whenua Bridge is how we reframe success, not by extracting from culture, but by building with it.

This is not education as usual. This is Whenua Tech.

Partner With US

Let's Build the Future Together

Whether you’re an educator, employer, or aspiring tech leader, there’s a place for you in our kaupapa. Join us in shaping a culturally grounded, future-ready tech ecosystem.

Co-Design With Industry Leaders

Work alongside tech professionals and Māori innovators to shape pathways that reflect real employer needs, from cybersecurity to AI. Your input directly impacts the next generation of talent.

Learn Through Real-World Practice

Our rangatahi learn by doing via live projects, micro-internships, and team-based problem solving. This isn’t theory. It’s experience that employers trust and value.

Cultural Alignment Built In

We embed Te Whare Tapa Whā across all learning, ensuring participants grow in every dimension, mental, physical, spiritual, and social. Inclusive innovation starts with identity.