It started with a culturally curious wahinepreneur

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Delivering Mana centric innovation and leadership into the modern workforce and workplace.  

Our approach to workplace innovation is tribe centric and technology inspired. It’s about creating a higher consciousness of distilled tribal values from diverse communities, placing mana or integrity at the heart of success in workforces and workspaces, coupled with leading technology solutions.

Co-founder Heidi Renata identified a direct correlation between ritual of encounters and likelihood of success for thriving workplaces and workforces and this has been a distinguishing factor as they support Aotearoa's growing demand in the market. She found that by deconstructing traditional Māori tikanga or protocol for the modern workplace environments, there was significant improvements in recruitment, engagement, innovation and retention. Hallmarks of sustainable business growth and leadership.

Evolution of INNOV8HQ

2016: INNOV8HQ pioneers one of the world's first indigenous modelled co-working space from Dunedin city and was Aotearoa's, New Zealand's first whānau owned business marae
2017: INNOV8HQ 1st Birthday - 13,000 people used INNOV8HQ for co-working; events, training, residency and hot-desking.  33% of resident businesses doubled in size.
2018: More than 18,900 co-working spaces worldwide with 1.69M members. More than 20 co-working spaces across NZ with more than 300 members.  15,000 people have now used INNOV8HQ for co-working; events, training, residency and hot-desking. 10 resident businesses representing 9 sectors onboard. INNOV8HQ becomes the official community partner for the $20m Clutha Community Hub.
Hawaiian keynote tour of Kaua'i Island and partnership with Native Hawaiian community.
2019:
More than 35,000 co-working spaces worldwide using 48 million square meters of flexible space with a global market value of around $40 billion NZD. 19,000 people have now used INNOV8HQ for co-working; events, training, residency and hot-desking. 12 resident businesses representing 11 sectors onboard, strategic entry of corporate regional teams from DATACOM and 2degrees. 50% of residents reporting double digit growth rate within first 18 months of occupation.
2020:
Celebrates 20,000 visitors to the space, 195 events, 135 Startups launched, 32 enterprises housed over the 4 year period. With distinguishing elements as workplace curators, the Renata family evolved the INNOV8HQ enterprise model, from being co-working operators to management consultants and advisors of flexible workplace curation and design. Alongside this, their Education and Training programmes for Leadership and Entrepreneurship specialising in culturally centric mentoring expanded its operations around the globe. Mana Rangatahi Programme is officially launched to support youth into pathways.
2021: World Premiere of Outside the Valley Movie, where INNOV8HQ was showcased for Māori Business models and global launch of Mana Nation Entrepreneurship and Leadership Series. Partnership with Transition to Work announced and $300, 000 awarded by Otago Community Trust in support for the Mana Rangatahi Programme. Year ending with Heidi our CEO being recognised as one of the South's most inspiring leaders in 2021.
2022: Konaki programme becomes part of the new University of Otago Bachelor of Entrepreneurship and Mana Rangatahi programme 2 year campaign commences to support more youth in the region. Global launch of the Mana Rangatahi Leadership and Entrepreneurship App.
CEO - Heidi Renata is named Otago Daily Times Business Leader of the Year
2023: Mana Rangatahi is named 2023 Community Programme of the Year - ACE Aotearoa, (Adult, Community Education) Awards, Auckland.
- Global Entrepreneurship Conference - Melbourne, Australia. Representing Aotearoa, New Zealand for Entrepreneurship in Small Cities and Indigienous Entrepreneurship, and the official commencement of global partnerships.

This is our story. Mauri Ora

Meet the leaders | Nga kaiārahi

Heidi Renata

Chief Energy Officer I Kaiwhakahaere Matua  

Pepeha


Made in 75, Heidi Renata is the Founder, Chief Energy Officer of INNOV8HQ and popular motivational speaker, whose illustrious career spans over 25 years, with 13 years at the forefront of technology in the ICT sector.

Her story as a Culturally Curious Wahinepreneur was inspired by her life journey, launching INNOV8HQ and developing a business model that innately reconnected Heidi to her māoritanga and what it means for wahine māori in business. This unique experience has formed the foundations for her business and personal life and she now works with indigenous communities, developing leaders and enterprises around the globe.

Heidi is also an internationally accredited Life Coach and is on a variety of Advisory panels for Government and Education agencies, in addition to a diverse portfolio of governance roles.

Check out Graphic Monk's project that designed a Heidi avatar as part of a creative community initiative.

Steven Renata

Director | Kaitohu and  Heidi’s Strategic Conscious

Pepeha



Made in 66, "Big bro" Steve is eldest of the Renata whanau siblings and key shareholder of INNOV8HQ. Steven is an avid supporter of whanau wellness, entrepreneurship and cultural intelligence. As a Business Development expert and Director he brings two decades of experience through ownership and positions in global and national organisations. He was a founding shareholder of Les Mills International and is now the current CEO and co-owner of KIWA Digital, a global trans-media company based in Auckland
New Zealand.

The best of both worlds

As siblings from a proud blended family with Pakeha and Māori ancestry, our family philosophy was to work hard, stand up for what you believe in and be gracious in all that you do. Having grown up as children of the 60s and 70s, we inherently lived dual lives not always comfortable in one or the other, but unconsciously searching for the authentic blend.

After travelling the world for two decades and settling back in Aotearoa we could sense the shifts; colony to nation, western world view to TeAo Māori world view, adults to guardians and employees to employers.

Armed with a new sense of duality we’ve embarked on designing and delivering an innovative coworking model that will help navigate the future.

Clients stories

What it's like being part of the INNOV8HQ whanau?
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