Ian is the founder and Programme Director for Kōkiri, New Zealand’s inaugural accelerator dedicated to speeding up the development of Māori-led start-ups. With a passion for supporting indigenous peoples, Ian views his role as connecting-the-dots and building the people who build their business. For Ian, Indigenous people are innovative by nature and history provides ample evidence; however, nowadays more often than not existing structures do not facilitate the means to grow businesses that measure success outside the status quo – Kōkiri was a step in the right direction within New Zealand, and one that has supported an influx of Māori participating in start-ups. Ian thrives on his work and loves supporting people towards their definition of success. His professional history spans the corporate, tertiary education and startup sectors; Ian also holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from The University of Waikato and is involved in multiple governance roles.