Right here on the Ara central city campus, you will find Te Ōhaka – Centre for Growth & Innovation.
Te Ōhaka is the startup and innovation hub for central city Christchurch where you will find students, startup founders, innovators, corporates, and investors working together to create New Zealand’s future high growth ventures and jobs.
As a student at Ara, you are in a unique position to take full advantage of the knowledge, experience, networks, and opportunity delivered by Ministry of Awesome at Te Ōhaka. This is your opportunity to immerse yourself in real-world startup and innovation and sharpen your entrepreneurial and innovation capability.
Through work experience, internships, short courses, and sector focused challenges, Ara students will learn from some of the brightest entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the New Zealand ecosystem. No matter what your career ambitions or focus might be, an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset is a fundamental 21st century workforce requirement for success. Come and get it at Te Ōhaka.
Te Ōhaka Matchmaking for Ara Students and Faculty
Attention startup founders and Ara students/faculty, Te Ohaka Matchmaking for the Autumn '23 Cohort matching up ambitious startup projects with talented Ara students and faculty is gearing up. You're invited to attend our info night (and pizza party) to learn more about how this programme can deliver an incredible experience! Learn more at www.ministryofawesome.com/matchmaking/Transform startup ideas into viable businesses
Ministry of Awesome and Ara Institute have joined together to offer a new Business Accelerator course for anyone interested in starting their own business. Using modern startup methodology and innovation practices, you will learn how to build your own high impact venture with the greatest opportunity for success.Become a force for business innovation
Also offered by Ministry of Awesome and Ara Institute of Canterbury, the Innovation Accelerator course will equip you with the tools and skills to identify and implement transformative innovation opportunities within a large organisation. You will learn to identify opportunities for improvement, drive stakeholder engagement and create a culture of innovation for your organisation.Applied Learning
With 20+ high growth businesses currently moving through Te Ōhaka's startup incubation programme, there are excellent applied learning opportunities available for ambitious Ara students who are looking for exposure to real-life innovation across multiple sectors. The difference between working alongside a small startup team or a mature organisation is vast. At a startup, you will be exposed directly to the heart of the business and - as a result - you will learn and grow fast. Want to find out more about the applied learning opportunities? Get in touch with us via [email protected]Build your network
The startup and innovation community in New Zealand is full of talent and extremely supportive of each others' growth and success. Come and meet them at any Ministry of Awesome event - plenty of which take place right here at Te Ōhaka on the Ara central city campus. Get involved, build your network, and succeed.Join the community
Subscribe to our event invites and monthly newsletters and be part of our 6,000+ strong community of high growth startup founders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers.