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Tauola Business Fund - Round 2

Tauola Business Fund - Round 2

The Tauola Business Fund has now closed

The Tauola Business Fund was established as part of the Ministry’s Pacific Business Village framework, for the purpose of direct investment into Pacific businesses across Aotearoa to increase regional productivity, scale businesses, and ensure participation in economic development projects.

Round 1 of the Fund closed on 27 May 2022 and a second round of funding was announced on 18 November 2022. Round 2 of the Fund closed on 24 January 2023.

The aims of the Tauola Business Fund Round 2 were to:

  • create employment pathways for Pacific peoples
  • improve Pacific peoples’ participation in the labour market
  • increase productivity and stimulate growth
  • strengthen Pacific-owned businesses to be more successful and sustainable
  • increase resilience through the economic shocks

Applicants were able to apply for an amount up to $100,000 excluding GST and were required to contribute a minimum of 15% of the requested amount.

Applications closed on Tuesday 24 January at 9am.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation criteria for the fund consisted of two areas:

  • The financials outlined in Section 3 of the application form were weighted at 20%.
  • The funding criteria in Section 4 of the application form were weighted at 80%. 

Applications were scored against answers to the questions in Section 4, and the advice we received from the Ministry's finance team in relation to applicants' financials.

If you have any questions about the fund or the application process, please check out our Tauola Business Fund booklet, and our frequently asked questions about the fund.

Alternatively, you can email [email protected].

About the fund

The aims of the Tauola Business Fund were to:

  • Create employment pathways for Pacific peoples 
  • Improve Pacific peoples’ participation in the labour market
  • Demonstrate capability and capacity to increase productivity and stimulate growth
  • Strengthen Pacific-owned businesses to be more successful and sustainable
  • Increase resilience through the challenges of COVID-19

Applicants were able apply for up to $100,000 excl. GST and were required to contribute a minimum of 15% of the requested amount.

The Tauola Business Fund has now closed

Applications opened: 11.00 am on Friday, 18 November 2022

Applications closed: 9am on Tuesday, 24 January 2023. 

To be eligible for the Tauola Business Fund, applicants must have:

  • been a Pacific business (defined as minimum of 50% Pacific ownership)
  • sole traders must have been 100% Pacific owned
  • operated commercially in New Zealand and been GST registered
  • committed to co-contributing a minimum of 15% (excluding GST) of the requested funding amount
  • had a turnover of at least $60,000 per financial year
  • been trading for at least 12 months
  • not been a current funding recipient of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.

The Tauola Business Fund has now closed

Applications closed at 9am, Tuesday, 24 January 2023.

You will be required to upload the following documents as part of your application:

Supporting Documents

  1. a character reference from an independent person who knows the primary applicant and is familiar with the business applying for this funding. Your referee cannot be a family member. The reference needs to be uploaded to the application form using the template below:

    Character reference template: [Download MS Word format]  |  [Download PDF format

  2. a copy of your Certificate of Incorporation, if applicable (not applicable to Sole Traders) - you can obtain a copy of this from the NZ Companies Office.

IMPORTANT: You'll be required to provide all applicable supporting documents before we can process your application.

If you need assistance with your application or supporting documents, please email [email protected].

Financials

Following your application submission, if your business is eligible for further assessment, you will be asked to provide the following documentation:

  • Balance Sheet Statement for two consecutive periods [01 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 and 01 April 2020 – 31 March 2021]
  • Profit and Loss Statement for two consecutive periods [01 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 and 01 April 2020 – 31 March 2021]
  • Cashflow Statement
  • Budget for the current financial year
  • Two formal quotes from two different third-party suppliers who will be paid out of the funding, as part of your funding proposal.

If this information is required, we will request via email. Please DO NOT upload this information within the application form.

However, please prepare the above documentation ahead of time, to expedite the assessment process if and when it is requested. The Ministry’s Finance team will provide advice to the Tauola Business Fund team on your documentation.

Acceptable Document Formats

Please make sure your documents are only saved in .doc, .docx, .jpg, .png or .pdf file format and please include your full organisation name in the filename before uploading. This will help us match up your documents with your application form when processing. Please also make sure attachments are no larger than 4MB in file size.

Supporting documentation can be emailed

If your documentation won't upload to the application form, or contains information you consider private or sensitive, or you have additional supporting documentation to attach, please email it to [email protected], using your name or organisation name in the subject line so we can match it with your application.

The Tauola Business Fund is available for Pacific businesses who can demonstrate the following:

  • An ability to create employment opportunities for Pacific peoples
  • A commitment to improving Pacific participation in the labour market
  • An ability to increase productivity and scale up
  • Job creation within 6 months of receiving funding
  • Build capacity and capability to participate in economic development projects
  • Good health and safety practices.

Note: This is not an exclusive list.

The Ministry has previously funded the following through the Tauola Business Fund:

  • An online user interface system
  • Excavator and a digger
  • Screen printing technology
  • Laptops
  • Heat press machine
  • Camera
  • Delivery truck
  • Float and ice baths
  • Gym equipment

The Tauola Business Fund is not available for:

  • new business idea/s
  • feasibility studies
  • financial subsidies for salaries and wages
  • travel, accommodation, or fact-finding tours
  • social housing*
  • infrastructure: roads, bridges, power stations, water storage or supply*
  • new mineral or other exploration (but could expand or pivot an existing exploration business)
  • renovation or remediation of commercial buildings where the focus is not productive expansion and jobs
  • programmes and activities delivered overseas, including the New Zealand realm countries
  • digital capability and marketing, financial literacy, business mentorship, project management, strategic and business planning, health and safety and human resources capability**
  • infrastructure and capital expenditure
  • academic research and other academic activities
  • debt repayment or debt servicing
  • rent/leases

*Third-party construction and infrastructure contractors providing labour and equipment to the build may be eligible.

** Support and funding are available within our Pacific Business Village for these services.

Successful applicants will be required to comply with the key milestone requirements of their Grant Funding Agreement, including quarterly reporting.

If you need more information about the Tauola Business Fund, please email [email protected].

Fund recipients

The list of recipients for the second round of Tauola Business funding are as follows:

  • Bolster Design Limited
  • Gumboots Consulting Engineers Ltd
  • Ace Birdproofing Solutions Limited
  • Johnson Building Limited
  • The Island Food Company
  • Tauranga Scaffolding Ltd
  • TK Productions Limited T/A Deep Dive Division
  • Shaolin Electrical
  • Pro-pare Athlete Management Trust
  • Limelight DJ & Entertainment Ltd
  • Coolkona Forestry 1 Limited
  • Bluespur Consulting Ltd
  • JNP Aviation Limited
  • Nasita Productions Ltd
  • Momentum Fabrication Limited
  • Nspyre Red Boutique Hair Lounge & Nspyre Red Hair Studio
  • GREENSIDE INSULATION LIMITED
  • Benny Tui Projects
  • Pacific Express (NZ) Company Limited 
  • Loaves and Fishes Catering
  • Tautoko Whanau Ora
  • Positive Screenprinting
  • Gray Builders Ltd
  • Access Masters Scaffolding 
  • G Force Plumbing and Building Limited
  • Dymond Construction
  • JRA Limited
  • NAUA COURIER LIMITED
  • Danika Cooper Jewellery Limited
  • Four Shells Kava Lounge - Kumete Group Limited
  • Trust & Loyalty Security Limited
  • IMAGE CENTRAL
  • Samuel Manu Plastering Limited
  • Secure Board-Ups Limited
  • MMB Builders Ltd
  • OPSEC Solutions Limited
  • Alas Engineering Ltd
  • Whangarei Fitness Limited - F45 Whangarei South
  • Galaxy Childcare
  • WillFix Construction Limited
  • Sweet and Me Ltd
  • Zion Concrete
  • Chooice
  • Ashburton Fruit Berry Ice Cream
  • Affirming Works
  • Elika Consulting Group
  • Pacific Business Hub