PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
13 September 2018
Hatch by Pacific Business Trust - Creating the commercial leaders of tomorrow – Enrolments open now
Hatch is a safe space where young Pacific entrepreneurs transform their futures through enterprise.
Run by the Pacific Business Trust, it embodies the new direction the Trust has embarked upon for the last two years. The
result is the creation of programmes which leverage key areas of strength within our Pacific communities, with Hatch
addressing the need for a programme focusing solely on youth, many of whom have grown up in the diaspora of Aotearoa.
The Trust recognises its importance, with the Pacific population projected to become more than 10% of the total
population by 2028, most of its population consisting of young people under 25. Hatch captures this market early,
empowering Pacific youth to not only own commercial and sustainable enterprises, but create a pipeline for Pacific
leadership in the future.
Hatch is not an accelerator. Spanning a three-year period, it focuses on ensuring businesses get the basics right and
the cohort is supported in a way that is bespoke and customised around their needs.
It also fuses traditional ways of learning with real-life experience. Participants have access to enhanced learning
options. Business experts from around the country lead masterclasses around key areas, such as governance and
intellectual property. Experts are selected due to their extensive experience and knowledge and their belief in the
vision to create opportunities for our youth in a way that empowers and respects them.
After this initial period, work plans are established with each company, with the level of support self-determined by
the youth themselves. The first cohort made an immediate impact, with each of the enterprises growing from strength to
strength, covering a variety of sectors, from education to digital content and technology.
PBT Business Strategist and Hatch Virtual CEO Tim Swann describes the growth seen in both the individual participants
and their business as exceptional.
“We’ve seen business move from ideation to commercial delivery, with some already developing international supply
chains,” says Tim.
“We’ve seen business pivot at speed, becoming much more responsive to the changing needs of the market. Innovation and
Technology have been key features of many of our businesses and we have seen them integrate these in new ways. The
personal journeys have been profound.”
Kim Tuaine, CEO of Pacific Business Trust, says the goals of Hatch are to;
· grow young Pacific businesses into sustainable, viable and commercially successful businesses by building
capacity and capability
· facilitate ecosystems that surround flourishing youth Pacific businesses with experts, networks and Hatch
partners to ensure scalability
· advocate by creating a platform to provide data for informed intervention, enabling continued succession
capability.