Akina Foundation, initially named Hikurangi Foundation, was a social enterprise incubator established in 2008 to support practical action on climate change and the environment. Years later, the foundation financed and supported a variety of grassroots and community-led innovation projects, such as in transport, housing, consumption and waste, land and ecosystems, and energy.
In 2014, Hikurangi was renamed into Akina, meaning Bold Action, following the New Zealand government’s Position Statement on Social Enterprise, which expressed a commitment to identify any policy barriers to social enterprise growth and to work collaboratively to create an enabling, supportive environment where more social enterprises can grow and attract investment.’
It continues offering development support to people with ideas for social or environmental change, either within early stage or established social enterprises, or organisations which are interested. Akina provides a range of services and activities including training workshops, clinics in different locations, advisory services, a ‘launchpad’ to coach and test business ideas, and an incubator, from 12 to 36 months.
Case Studies
- Akina supported Bloom Pukekohe, a transformative horticultural and craft-based programme for adults with intellectual disabilities. For Bloom, Ākina helped define job roles, reviewed Bloom’s internal structure, and educated the board on the principles of the Good Governance Code, instilling a sense of direction.
- Akina supported Beca, an independent advisory, design and engineering consultancy employing more than 3,800 people in 25 offices around the world. Ākina designed internal capability-building sessions and brainstorming on how the organisation could implement practical actions to increase their impact. With support from Ākina, Beca took an action learning approach, focusing on engaging with diverse suppliers through regional pilots and centres of excellence.
- Akina supported Leaft Foods, striving to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture by creating a new economy that taps into the global shift to plant-based eating, having developed a model that extracts a highly nutritional plant protein called Rubisco from green leafy crops. Akina’s Impact Investment Readiness Programme (IIRP) funding supported them to scale their research and development production and maximise their environmental outcomes and supply chain efficiencies.
