At Business Hawke’s Bay we love BIG ideas and BIG themes. 2019 is Hawke’s Bay’s year of innova- tion and entrepreneurship.

We’re starting a nationwide conversation that celebrates and draws attention to Hawke’s Bay as a place where people with bright ideas can flour- ish. We’re calling on everyone from across the Bay; from schools, from iwi, from councils and from the busi- ness community to join us and help to tell Hawke’s Bay’s stories of inno- vation and entrepreneurship.

Hawke’s Bay offers great lifestyle, world class wines and amazing produce, but for many from outside our region that’s where our story ends. Hawke’s Bay is all these things, but it’s so much more. It’s also a place where creativity and innovation is woven into the fabric of the community. And it’s a place full of opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs, businesses and people with skills.

Business Hawke’s Bay was inspired by the organisers of New Zealand Techweek, who are focused on New Zealand to be globally recognised as a beautiful country where world-leading solutions are born. We’re applying that thinking regionally, showcasing our leading edge innovation and amplifying brilliant ideas.

The Why? Because great things grow here

We believe that greater innovation and entrepreneurship will unlock Hawke’s Bay’s full potential. With everyone on the lookout for opportunities to be more innovative and telling their stories of innovation, together, we’ll start a movement.

Telling a fuller, broader story of Hawke’s Bay will help our region grow, and attract more investors, businesses and people with skills that will add value to the region.

Collectively, let’s showcase the full range of opportunities and tell a “lifestyle plus” Hawke’s Bay story, demonstrating that great things grow here and so do great ideas and great businesses. We want people to know that if they come to Hawke’s Bay they can tap into a creative, innovative and entrepreneurial community.

By showing the talent, the meaningful connections and the support available, we’ll give investors, businesses and people more reasons to do business in Hawke’s Bay.

Innovation Tours of the Bay – a featured Techweek NZ week event

Being innovative is at the heart of Hawke’s Bay businesses and you’ll find it well beyond the technology sector. It’s everywhere, so let’s tell that story. Whether it’s software to grade fruit via a digital image, a frost fan that can save a grape crop, sector leading furniture design for schoolchildren or holistic nutrition to improve health and well-being, all of this innovation and the thinking behind it is borne of Hawke’s Bay.

Let’s stand up and celebrate, connect and collaborate to foster even more entrepreneurship and innovation. To ensure Hawke’s Bay innovations get the recognition they deserve and can attract the talent and capital they need to grow, Business Hawke’s Bay will be talking more about the great work being done here. One way we’re doing this is through “Innovation Tours of the Bay” curated by Business Hawke’s Bay for Techweek NZ 2019, which is being held on May 20-26.

As a Tier 1 Techweek NZ event, Hawke’s Bay’s Innovation Tours will be publicised nationally and internationally; a series of three innovation tours, showcasing business innovation across food and beverage, agribusiness, and sustainability. Each tour will showcase fantastic innovation, entrepreneurship and new technology being developed right here in Hawke’s Bay, giving it well-deserved prominence and recognition.

The Innovation Tours will be an opportunity for building connections and cross pollination, amplifying Hawke’s Bay’s unique and inspiring innovation stories. We’re excited to help promote our innovations and entrepreneurs on bigger stage. Find out more by visiting our website.

Ways you can get involved

We’d love our every facet of the community to join us. As Hawke’s Bay regional co- ordinator for Techweek NZ, Business Hawke’s Bay can support businesses, schools and community groups to create a local Techweek event. Proudly showcase your innovations throughout the year and let us know what you’re doing, so we can build enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship right across Hawke’s Bay all year long.

To be innovative rather than “doing innovation” has been identified as a global mega trend. Let’s nurture and embed being innovative in everything that we do.

2019 – Hawke’s Bay’s year of innovation and entrepreneurship. Join us!