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Nigel Cottle’s Crave cafe in Morningside is an example of the new crop of startups that do good as well as making money.
Nigel Cottle’s Crave cafe in Morningside is an example of the new crop of startups that do good as well as making money.

BusinessOctober 18, 2018

The social enterprise sector comes of age

Nigel Cottle’s Crave cafe in Morningside is an example of the new crop of startups that do good as well as making money.
Nigel Cottle’s Crave cafe in Morningside is an example of the new crop of startups that do good as well as making money.

From businesses doing good to charities running businesses and everything in between, social enterprise as an industry is growing up and holding its first national conference.

In 1942 the New Zealand poet Allen Curnow wrote: “Simply by sailing in a new direction, you could enlarge the world.” He was talking about the first European explorers arriving in New Zealand on their wooden ships but his statement could also apply to the expanding social enterprise movement in New Zealand.

The movement is actively pushing boundaries in the pursuit of a combination of both profit and purpose. It involves re-imagining the future of business as a means to provide incomes for employees and generate profit for owners, while also addressing social or environmental needs. In short, the organisation acts ‘for purpose’.

So where are we on the social enterprise journey in New Zealand? Is it even right to start describing this as a sector, and where does social enterprise fit in the spectrum between charity on the one side and entrepreneurial upstarts on the other? My view is that social enterprise is now charting into new territory and enlarging our understanding of the world, and that is shown by a few indicators on our map.

First, the sure sign of legitimacy for a group is a national conference devoted to gathering like-minded people together. A year ago in Christchurch the Social Enterprise World Forum was held with more than 1,600 attending. A global event held in this country was perhaps an unusual mountaintop, but it certainly kick-started a lot of discussions and planted many seeds for those who attended.

But the truest signal that social enterprise as a sector has really landed here is happening this Friday, when Wellington Zoo plays host to the Ākina-organised Aotearoa Social Enterprise Forum. The day-long event will feature an overview of the scene in New Zealand as well as 14 sessions on topics such as

  •       measuring impact
  •       Māori and indigenous enterprise
  •       social procurement
  •       youth and social enterprise
  •       legal structures for social enterprises
  •       activating impact investment
  •       environmental accountability

These topics show that those involved are thinking more deeply about the real impact and implications of starting a social enterprise. They are important issues for those involved in starting or running social enterprises, although some cautions and questions I wrote about here almost a year ago still apply. The credibility of the sector will depend on social entrepreneurs having some good answers.

I’ve certainly noticed an elevation in the thinking among the 65 guests interviewed for my podcast, seeds, which focuses on social entrepreneurs. The depth of understanding about the basics of social enterprise we are seeing now has been revealing. It’s like we really are sailing in the new direction that Allen Curnow talked about, which is opening up new horizons for the possibilities of social enterprise.

Additional evidence of this local growth in social enterprise is the fact that the term itself is becoming more widely known, discussed and – most importantly – understood. That wasn’t the case even a year ago. You can also see changes in how each end of the charity/business axis is approaching social enterprise principles. For example, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are incorporating social enterprise into their standard business models. It’s clear that younger generations do this more naturally than previous ones, who were more likely infected by the “greed is good” mantra of movies like Wall Street.

A diverse range of start-ups are demonstrating this. Check out the stories of 27 Seconds, a social enterprise winery where profits go towards reducing modern day slavery (more on Alanna Chapman and their journey here),  Crave Café in Morningside (Nigel Cottle’s story is here and earlier in Spinoff here), or Digital Journey which provides free resources for companies to check their internet presence and promotes better use of technology (hear Stuart Dillon-Roberts’ story here).

But what about corporates? They’re getting in on the act too. NZ Post recently introduced a new “Social Procurement” strategy as a way for it to interact and engage meaningfully with social enterprises. Earlier this year it won the Sustainability Project of the Year award at the New Zealand Procurement Excellence Awards for its efforts in this area. There are many other private, public and not-for-profit entities also interested in pursuing a social procurement approach in New Zealand. It’s an encouraging trend: a large customer base that social enterprises can sell their goods and services to will be vital for their long term success.

Over in the ‘traditional’ not-for-profit world, many charities are realising that grant funding can only go so far, and they are exploring other ways (including setting up businesses) to achieve their charitable purposes. An example is Pathway, a charitable trust that helps prisoners reintegrate into society. Pathway has two companies which operate for profit while also providing employment for the very group the trust is focused on. Other examples of larger charities operating businesses are Trade Aid and Kilmarnock , both of which provide employment opportunities for those with disabilities (hear an interview with Kilmarnock CEO Michelle Sharp here and read more here).

It would be remiss not to mention the other big growth area, impact investing. Social enterprises need funding to start and grow. New Zealand now boasts its own impact investing network and earlier this month it was announced that the Impact Investing National Advisory Board of Aotearoa New Zealand has become a member of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investing. A real-life example of this trend here is the Impact Enterprise Fund that had a first close of an impressive NZ$8 million. Impact Ventures’ Chris Simcock is currently working on finding investment opportunities for that fund and he explained how this whole area is evolving in New Zealand when I spoke to him recently. Another local example is the work of Soul Capital which invests in social enterprises.

Lastly, it is heartening to see that business in general is becoming more aware of social enterprise concepts; it may be that more organisations will self-identify as social enterprises in the near future. Research is currently being undertaken on whether options including new legal structures to empower social entrepreneurs would help the sector grow. Enabling organisations (whatever their legal form) to act with purpose and helping them articulate, clearly communicate and report on their purpose will become increasingly vital. There is also a growing realisation of how important it is that the work of social enterprises not become isolated as something “they do”. Instead the ethos behind the movement must be encouraged to permeate the mainstream business world as well.

It really is an exciting time to be involved with social enterprises as we further expand the boundaries and explore what it means in the New Zealand context – for example, what businesses can learn from Māoritanga that is unique and distinctive.

It will be fascinating to watch what emerges from the hui this week in Wellington as more connections are made among those who attend. The social enterprise sector is here to stay. I hope those on the journey will continue to sail in new directions and in doing so the world will keep enlarging as we push out further and discover more about the power of doing business that also does good.

Steven Moe is a lawyer and the host of the seeds podcast, which features interviews with social entrepreneurs. He is the author of Social Enterprises in NZ: a legal handbook, available for free by email: stevenmoe@parryfield.com.

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BusinessOctober 15, 2018

I tried New Zealand’s first brand of period proof undies

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Alex Casey talks to Michele Wilson of AWWA, New Zealand’s first brand of period proof undies, and takes a pair for a spin. 

It does seem pretty wild that you can 3D print yourself a sex robot in 2018, but there still isn’t the technology widely available to stop period-havers from bleeding through their pants, skirts, shorts, jorts and dresses. Imagine living with a period without ever having to tie your jacket around your waist, or hastily reassemble the couch pillows to hide a mini murder scene, or moonwalk backwards, far away from your friends, your families, your colleagues, forever.

Beginning over a glass of wine, like all good things, two women in Te Atatu have made that dream a bloody reality. Michele Wilson and Kylie Matthews have just launched New Zealand’s first period underwear company via this kickstarter campaign to pre-purchase from their first December batch. With four daughters between them, they couldn’t ignore the growing dissatisfaction around pads, tampons and the endless amounts of sanitary waste.

“We really started having conversations about the current options we have for managing our periods,” says Wilson. People are cheers-ing menstrual cups across the country, but what about everyone else? “Kylie was happy to use a cup, but that wasn’t something I wanted to explore. After having two kids I just didn’t want to insert anything in there, and it didn’t really sit well with me to hold the flow in my body all day.”  

The pair began exploring their options, perplexed as to why the world hadn’t caught up. “We just thought: our iPhones are updating every six months, surely the technology is out there somewhere to make underwear that can hold your flow.” They looked overseas, to brands like Thinx and ModiBodi. “They were all fantastic but, due to the New Zealand dollar, incredibly expensive.” Another issue overseas, aside from shonky feminist ethics, was the sustainability of the materials used.

I j’adore to read a book in my undies

“We began talking to manufacturers to find out if the technology exists for bamboo fibres, because we knew they were super absorbent.” Not long after, they found a small family-run business in Sri Lanka with strict ethical practices. Why not make them on home turf? “We would love to manufacture here, but unfortunately the technology doesn’t exist in New Zealand,” Wilson explains. “To bring it over here would almost defeat the purpose of what we are trying to achieve – creating affordability.”

Conjuring up bleedable underwear was no easy feat, with Wilson citing “a lot of brave trial and error” before getting to the final prototype: a pair which holds up to two tampons worth of flow. I know. I nearly dropped the phone when she told me, too. Two tampons to me feels like approximately a pint worth of blood, but I was willing to hear her out. It’s all about layers: bamboo fibres, an anti-bacterial layer, an anti-moisture layer, a leak-proof layer. “I completely forget that I’m on my period these days.” I never forget.

I had to try them for myself. Armed with two pairs sent to me for review by I am Eva, I checked my calendar and waited for the big day. It only took the first drop to fall for me to chicken out completely, and chuck in the moon cup faster than you can say “Carrie goes to prom”. To be fair, the stakes were extremely high – it was the last episode of our TV show for god’s sake – but I still popped them on as a safety net of sorts. Any menstrual cup user will know that, save for taxes and death, nothing is guaranteed. Things could be fine, and then you sit down the wrong way and you’re… Simply Red.

A very good, very sturdy waistband is hard to find

The real test came the next morning, when I embarked on what could definitely be described as an “epic roadie”. While we’re oversharing, here’s a weird thing about me: I seem to always have a code red in Wellsford. Maybe it’s that I always forget driving up north takes ages, maybe it’s my body panicking that I am getting too far away from the city, maybe it’s just that I delight in upsetting my friends and family. It’s happened three times, and it happened in my I am Eva’s.

After doing the customary, baboon-style display of the butt to my nearest and dearest, who assured me that nothing was visible, I remembered that I was wearing stone cold SCIENCE underpants. They feel a little bit thicker to the touch than your average – more like boy cut togs than a mesh Lonely waif – but I figure that’s the kind of security you want when the lining of your womb is rudely trying to exit your body.

Realising that the bloodshed was completely, comfortably contained, I got brave. I got William Wallace-level brave. From Day 4-6 (not Day 3 because Day 3 is literally The Shining lobby pour moi), I went cup free. Once you get over the fact that you are basically wearing a space age adult diaper, it feels freeing to the point of subversive. All I’m saying is, I briefly thought about peeing a little bit just to see what would happen. To be clear: I didn’t. But I did think about it.

When I bleed, I also read

I’ll admit there’s a bit of admin involved with using period proof underwear, in the same way that there’s admin involved in being alive. If you’ve got a heavy flow, you might burn through two pairs in 24 hours, and you’ll probably have to do more washing than usual. It’s a bit of an upfront cost for multiple pairs ($34 each), but so is a menstrual cup. “I really feel like this is going to change the game for all women,” says Wilson. “It’s been interesting because a lot of women have been quite sceptical – they are often the ones who grew up,like me, with only pads and tampons being normal.”

So if you can handle a more conscious washing routine, the other layer to I am Eva is that both owners are determined to do their part to combat period poverty in New Zealand. “We call it bleeding heart sustainability,” says Wilson. “I think it’s awesome what Countdown are doing by dropping the prices of pads and tampons. That’s great for the middle income families, but the reality is that women suffering from period poverty have zero budget for menstrual products.”

I am Eva intends to donate 5% of the underwear manufactured back to the high schools, the charities and the people living with period poverty. “It just drives us crazy what’s going on, women are missing work and missing school and that’s not fair. Boys and men don’t have to go through that, but there are girls out there missing really important hours of school which is just insane.”

While the name I Am Eva might not exactly roll off the tongue when talking about a pair of underpants, it has significant meaning for Wilson. “For a start, Eva is my daughter’s name, and I did this for her. But we also wanted to portray the idea of demanding better options. You know, I’m a modern woman so, when I think of I Am Eva, I think of every single modern woman in 2018 demanding better options for themselves.” As a modern woman in 2018, I know what I’ll be packing next time I’m visiting Wellsford. 

You can pre-purchase a pair of I am Eva underwear via their kickstarter here

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