Nobel Laureate talks social enterprise with Iwi Leaders

NOBEL LAUREATE TALKS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WITH IWI

6 April 2017

Iwi leaders from around the North Island - and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus - will share knowledge about social enterprise this weekend, in an event co-hosted by Chapman Tripp, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the Aera Foundation.

The Aera Foundation, one of Chapman Tripp’s CSR partners, is hosting Professor Yunus’ first visit to New Zealand from 8 to 10 April.

The Bangladeshi social entrepreneur will be welcomed with a pōwhiri by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei at Waipapa Marae on Saturday afternoon, followed by a dinner, where both Professor Yunus and the Aera Foundation’s Derek Handley will speak. Handley is an investor and advisor in one of New Zealand’s most well-known social enterprise, Eat My Lunch, which uses a ‘buy one, give one’ model approach to children’s lunches. He also invests in other organisations and leaders with a social mission.

“Chapman Tripp’s Te Waka Ture team is excited to work with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and the Aera Foundation to offer iwi the opportunity to hear from a pioneer of social enterprise,” says Nick Wells, Chapman Tripp’s Hoa Rangapū Whakarae.

“Social enterprises are very similar to iwi organisations in that they take a holistic view of business, with the bottom line not being the predominant driver of decision-making. Like iwi, social enterprises take a more community-based approach and measure success by other factors including social and environmental benefit.”

Professor Yunus is hailed as the champion of social enterprise and has earned the Nobel Peace Prize (2006), the US Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), and the US Congressional Gold Medal (2010), Wells said.

“He is an inspirational trailblazer, and we hope his philosophies will resonate with many iwi leaders.”

About Chapman Tripp

Chapman Tripp is New Zealand’s leading full-service commercial law firm with a truly national presence, with 53 partners and 175 lawyers across offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Our clients span the full spectrum of industry, commerce and government. Te Waka Ture, our Māori Legal Group, specialises in providing commercial legal advice to iwi, hapū, Māori landowners, Māori businesses, and those looking to work with them.

About Aera

Aera is a charitable trust that invests in causes and companies addressing social issues in imaginative ways. In 2016, its activities ranged from launching a youth fellowship to global drug policy reform to food waste, and encouraging civic engagement. The foundation has also established Aera VC, a community of family investors backing for-profit, social-venture startups. Aera Founder Derek Handley has helped found multiple digital media and technology companies and is currently a member of the Air New Zealand Sustainability Advisory Panel (NZX:AIR); an Adjunct Professor at AUT in Auckland; a director of Sky Television (NZX: SKT).

More about Professor Yunus

Fortune Magazine named him one of the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our era. He’s appeared on the cover of Time, Newsweek and Forbes and has been listed with Warren Buffett, J.P Morgan, and Mayer Amschel Rothschild as one of the greatest business finance pioneers of all time. He’s founded many companies including the largest telecommunications provider in Bangladesh, technology firms, and businesses specialising in food, eyecare, textiles and water.

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