Wintec’s SPARK week learns about Mahuki
Te Papa’s new(ish) innovation centre was the focus at Spark
Te Papa innovation hub Mahuki’s general manager, Tui Te Hau, talked culture, heritage, museums and innovation acceleration at the School of Media Arts SPARK Festival.
The hub is only two years old, but after planting some seeds, they are already receiving applicants from the likes of ex-Weta Digital workers.
Mahuki is an in-residence programme and Te Papa’s innovation accelerator, helping to develop ideas into world-leading digital businesses for the cultural sector.
It runs for four months each year in Te Papa’s purpose-built innovation space in the Cable Street building in central Wellington.
“For Mahuki we’re planting seeds, that we hope will grow,” Te Hau said.
“What we’re seeing is that the work that we’ve done with other institutions, particularly in Wellington where we’ve planted that seed… we’ve got those students coming through into our programme now.”
Mahuki have been taking opportunities to talk to different groups of students, and inspire them about the culture and heritage sector.
Te Hau thinks it’s a really exiting sector that a lot of people have not considered, but which offers huge opportunities.
Government agency Callaghan Innovation has realised this and has funded Mahuki with $250,000 this year.
Te Hau was also looking forward to plant some seeds at Wintec’s SPARK week.
“We’re hoping that if at least one student goes on to do something as a result of today, they either go on to get an internship, they go on to start a business, or something along those lines, that’s a real achievement for us,” Te Hau said.
