YES Event 2023 Awards Night a Roaring Success
The 2023 cohort of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) once again had their Northland Mid-Year Celebration last month, hosted by NorthTec | Te Pūkenga at their Raumanga Campus.
This event celebrates the achievements of YES teams for the year to date and announces the winners of the NorthTec Business Plan Challenge and the Design and Print Kerikeri Business Card Design Challenge.
YES gives high school students all around Aotearoa New Zealand the chance to create and pitch their business ideas and get professional support, helping them get a foot in the door of the business world. The NorthTec Business Plan Challenge is a regional competition for short business plans which doubles as a great foundational exercise for the YES teams when it comes to creating their pitch.
The students and the YES team have been working hard on their business plans and pitches all year and this night was the chance for the top eight teams, plus one wild card, to present their pitches to a wider audience. The top teams were chosen by a panel of judges made up of local business owners.
There were three awards up for grabs on the night and it was a tough competition, but winners had to be chosen.
The Design and Print Kerikeri Business Card Challenge asks for a business card to be designed for the individual businesses, aligning perfectly with “Promotion” in the YES programme. The winner, from Whangarei Boys High School, was Out of the Blue. In second place, from Kerikeri High School, Sail Inc. Third place went to Thinkify, also of Kerikeri High School.
Out of the Blue is a designer of personal hygiene products for men, both young and old, which looks to improve the hygiene habits and health of men across Aotearoa with a focus on healthy and sustainable practices.
The NorthTec Business Plan Challenge was presented by NorthTec | Te Pūkenga business tutor Graeme Ramsey. The winner was Sail Inc. Out of the Blue took second place this time and in third was Eco Chew of Whangarei Boys’ High School.
Sail Inc is a Sail school that is targeted specifically at teenagers in its local community. The sport will enable teenagers to harness their potential in a positive environment, teaching them valuable life skills such as persistence and resilience.
The final award offered was the Top Energy YES Northland ‘Most Convincing Pitch of the evening’. Our two top groups battled it out for first, but only one winner could be chosen. It was a hard decision; however, the winner was Sail Inc. of Kerikeri High School. The runner-up was Out of the Blue of Whangarei Boys’ High School
“A huge thank you to NorthTec | Te Pūkenga for, once again, being wonderful hosts for this event, with the perfect venue and great catering as well as fantastic ‘crew’ looking after our students and their families, teachers, and other supporters.” Says YES organiser Gary Larkan. “Thanks also to our challenge sponsors, NorthTec and Design and Print Kerikeri, and our Regional Partner, Top Energy. This event is designed to be a celebration of some of our students’ achievements so far this year and, with your support, by all accounts, this objective was well achieved. Thank you, again.”
NorthTec | Te Pūkenga would like to congratulate all students who took part on their fantastic pitches and ideas. They have done themselves proud and we wish luck to those continuing on in the competition.
