Innovate Taranaki: Meet Rita Rukuwai

Rita (of Taranaki Iwi & Te Atiawa) is one of our panel of selectors who will help decide the winning business idea at the Innovate Taranaki finals event on Wednesday 14 September (at the Novotel).

Rita stands on several community and iwi boards in Taranaki and has a professional background in education as an early childhood education and cultural studies lecturer at WITT and then the University of Canterbury.

She’s the great great granddaughter of Te Whiti o Rongomai—the 1800s leader of Parihaka and global pioneer of peaceful nonviolent resistance.

We asked Rita a couple of questions about her love for Taranaki and its people.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT TARANAKI?

We have the environment with the sea and the mountain. Life can be incredibly rich here. We are quite a long way out—we’re easy to bypass—but when you come here, it’s lovely. And we’re getting the cultural things together. We’ve got a long way to go but we’re getting there.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TARANAKI BUSINESS COMMUNITY?

Innovate Taranaki is a great start for people—we need more business ideas. We need more competition and we need to be more vibrant to keep those ideas coming. I’m passionate about the Tūparikino Active Community Hub (of which Rita is a board member) because it is innovative and promoting new ideas. It’s bringing the community together to solve problems around health and sport for all ages and disabilities.

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT INNOVATE?

I’m looking forward to seeing how these businesses will implement their ideas and grow the region. I’d love to see Taranaki become a founding place.

WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO SEE FOR OUR RANGATAHI (YOUNG PEOPLE)?

I know all youth have to go away from the region at some stage, but I’d love to see them come back and participate in not only business and work but also in their culture. That culture of course includes Māori culture, but I also mean things like being involved with sport and volunteering. We need community participation. It’s why I love things like Womad that bring us together and create community vibrancy.

The finals for Innovate Taranaki will be held on 14 September.

https://www.innovatetaranaki.kiwi/