The Icehouse is actively investing in ways to help more business owners from diverse backgrounds fulfil their potential and make their mark on the national and global stage.
Every day at The Icehouse, we ask, ‘what can we do more?’. In our case, that intention includes diversity of thought – championing the notion of bringing together individuals from different cultures, backgrounds and personalities to share their thoughts, learnings and experiences to accelerate upskilling to meet ambition.
As we mentioned in a recent Women on Programme blog, there’s no magic wand to attract a more diverse range of programme participants. We’re making a start with greater access to funding and donor-led scholarships, profiling Māori, Pasifika and Asian Kiwi Business Stories and podcasts, and working closely with organisations such as the Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development), who provide funds to support Māori and Pasifika and other ethnic groups to do programmes such as Owner Manager Programme (OMP). Starting in 2022, The Icehouse and Te Puni Kōkiri offered scholarship funds to support the development of skilled, productive, resilient Māori owners and leaders, and is looking to continue this into 2023.
However, providing critical access is only half the battle; perception is everything. Building the confidence to actually get over the line and go ‘on programme’ is a mental challenge for all entrepreneurs in Aotearoa.
Ray Everest, co-founder of Future Focus early learning centres and Icehouse alumni, battled with vulnerability and imposter syndrome on his ownership journey. “I know especially for Māori and Pasifika business owners out there right now, it is a very big issue. There are not clear support systems outside of iwi-run businesses for Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurs.
“Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurs potentially always think that you need to be earning in the millions or more to believe that they can go [on The Icehouse programmes] to bring worth or value to that… I know people who would be amazing on programme but probably struggle to see their own worth fit into that scenario.”
It is encouraging seeing more Māori business owners coming onto programme – owners who have the same issues as everyone else, no matter their backgrounds. “As a female and Māori business owner, I have always worked diligently to serve my community, my staff and my whanau,’ says Kara Thomas, Owner of Focused Physiotherapy, OMP alumni, and Te Puni Kōkiri scholarship recipient.
“In the post-Covid environment I have been looking at how to better structure my business to meet the challenges that I am now facing, and it was my accountant who contacted me to encourage me to apply for a scholarship to get on the programme.”
Channelling and promoting the diversity of thought is something that Liz Wotherspoon, The Icehouse Chief Executive, wants to tackle head-on. “It’s an issue [for The Icehouse] if the people that would benefit from engaging with us – where we could have a material or positive impact on them – aren't coming to us, because they don't perceive us as relevant to them, or they don't see us as a place where they could and should go for help and support.
“Similar to discussions around attracting more women to our programmes, if you ask me how many non-pakeha participants we have on programme, my answer is, ‘not enough’.
“If you walk into an OMP, you will see more diversity than we've seen historically. Working hard to encourage diversity is important and worthwhile, and I do think we're experiencing a shift in the right direction. We’ll continue working hard on representation, diversity, and the many similar things that The Icehouse values.”
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