Kāpiti is fast becoming the location of choice for innovative businesses in the Wellington Region.
Our businesses are making their mark nationally and internationally with a culture of collaboration, and connectedness. They are supported by business-led strategies, focused on building a resilient Kāpiti economy with productive and innovative clusters that are sustainable and future focused.
Local initiatives are designed to enable collaboration and innovation, scalability, access to resources, and growth. The following sectors highlight some of the key industries in Kāpiti, supported by a strong infrastructure and construction industry, ready to support your next venture.
We are all about enabling business growth and development. Are you a business owner or entrepreneur looking to understand the process and consents needed to establish a business in Kāpiti?
Start-up Ecosystem
There are many things to consider when starting a new business, relocating or expanding. The startup ecosystem highlights opportunities for connection to get your business idea off the ground or expand into a new market.
Kāpiti is home to many successful entrepreneurs, who are connected domestically and internationally. Having forged their pathways, our business community has valuable knowledge that can be utilised to help the next level of founders experience success and, learning from their journeys.
Business Startup Meeting with Council
Kāpiti Coast District Council offers businesses the opportunity to book in for a business startup meeting to help you understand any regulatory requirements. Once you have connected with the Economic Development team, please make a booking for a Business Startup Meeting with Council.
Connect with the Economic Development Team
The team is dedicated to supporting new business opportunities and assisting to navigate the journey with council and can also connect you with other relevant business organisations and networks.
Get in touch
Kāpiti Coast Start-up Ecosystem map 2024
Te Wānanga o Raukawa
Te Wānanga o Raukawa is a tikanga Māori tertiary education provider based in Ōtaki, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Hailed at the time as the 'smallest university in the world' Te Wānanga o Raukawa was established by the Raukawa Marae Trustees in 1981 with only two students.
Today, Te Wānanga o Raukawa offers 46 stand-alone qualifications from certificate to master’s level. All aimed at developing and nurturing our people’s sense of identity as Māori while learning the knowledge and skills of a particular industry. Qualifications are embedded with mātauranga Māori and most qualifications at diploma level and above include compulsory iwi and hapū, and te reo Māori studies.
Students learn from home while attending regular ‘noho’ or residential seminars on the award-winning campus having obtained architectural awards for several buildings including award submissions for the recent campus development that was designed using the internationally recognised ‘Living Building Challenge’ framework.
All certificate qualifications are offered FREE to NZ citizens and permanent residents and are a great introduction to Te Wānanga o Raukawa and the learning platforms.
Skills and Training
One of the aims of the Economic Development Kotahitanga Board and Kāpiti Coast District Council is to support the needs of the Kāpiti Coast to have skilled workers for local and regional employment opportunities.
The EDKB and Council with local civil construction business Mills Albert Ltd and other industry partners, are working in collaboration to develop a Kapiti Skills Hub focusing on delivering quality skills training to fill local and regional jobs.
The new Kāpiti Skills Hub will build skills for life and careers in the civil construction sector, and local firm Mills Albert will establish and lead Mills Albert Pathways programme to deliver a programme of qualification-aligned training for local people.
The development of a Kāpiti Skills Hub is a key part of the Kapiti Workforce Plan.
Business Networks
The Kāpiti Coast is a highly connected business community enriched by a number of vibrant and diverse business networks seeking to support pakihi / businesses. These networks offer learning and development opportunities, regular networking events, opportunities to collaborate and importantly, provide links outside of the district with other businesses, education institutions, investment opportunities, and funding channels with central government.
Funding and Grants
The Kāpiti Coast District Council has funding available for business and pakihi to support build resilience in key strategic areas. There are locally administered options to get funding for climate change and environmental projects to support your business initiatives in sustainability.
Grants and funding are offered across a multitude of pillars including major events fund, climate actions grants, waste levy grants and the Māori economic development fund.
Explore the current grants and funding available.
Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs
Mayor Janet Holborow, the Kāpiti Coast District Council and Economic Development Kotahitanga Board partnered to deliver the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs initiative in Kāpiti.
The Initiative empowers young people by providing them with essential skills to enter the workforce. Through our free driver licence programmes and employability skills training, participants are equipped for success.
Kāpiti Coast District Council is dedicated to leading by example. As the largest employer in the region, we are actively providing work experience and job opportunities within the Council for rangatahi. Additionally, we are leveraging our supplier network to create employment and training opportunities.
It’s a great time to invest in Kāpiti
If you are in the early stages of exploring a commercial, industrial, or residential site to operate a business from and need assistance with local insights and information please get in touch and we will connect you with the Development Facilitation Lead.
Get in touch
