Social enterprises don’t get tax advantages and can’t get the same kind of funding as businesses. This needs to change, says the co-author of a new report. Current company law is hampering the development of New Zealand’s social enterprise sector. This is the bottom line finding of a new report on whether existing regulatory frameworks … Read more
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 … Read more
Social enterprises are everywhere right now. But what are they? And how do we make sure they are not just businesses exploiting a trendy term? Lawyer Steven Moe outlines how social enterprise can become a legitimate force for good. When the poet Robert Frost published his most famous poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ in 1916, … Read more
Social enterprises often operate as limited liability companies, but new legal structures to govern them have been introduced in a number of countries. Lawyer Steven Moe argues we need these options in New Zealand. In the classic children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen, an emperor is given new clothes which are invisible to those who … Read more
The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) was hosted in Christchurch in the last week of September. Ākina Foundation CEO Alex Hannant looks back at the event and into the future of the social enterprise sector. Somewhere in the region of 1600 people attended the SEWF in Christchurch. It reached a further 3000 people through the … Read more
Eat My Lunch (EML) has changed the way New Zealanders think about where they buy their lunch and the power of their purchase. Rebecca Stevenson talks to founder Lisa King about the EML model, making a profit, and the company’s growth. When The Spinoff visited the Eat My Lunch kitchen early one Friday morning, … Read more
Social enterprise is changing the way we consume. In a discussion with some of the most prominent players in the sector, The Spinoff asks: can we consume our way to a better society? The rise of social enterprise has become an important signal for the direction of our economy. As the sector continues its rapid … Read more
In the fourth episode of our week-long series exploring the possibilities, challenges, and potential of social enterprise in New Zealand, our panel looks at what to expect in the next 10 years. Watch the rest of the series here. What is the vision? Slowly but steadily, social enterprise principles are becoming more mainstream. Nick Wells from Chapman … Read more
In the third episode of our week-long series exploring the possibilities, challenges, and potential of social enterprise in New Zealand, our panel looks at the political risks social enterprises face. Watch the rest of the series here. What are the political risks of operating in the social enterprise sphere? Lisa King from Eat My Lunch talks about … Read more
In the second episode of our week-long series exploring the possibilities, challenges, and potential of social enterprise in New Zealand, our panel asks: is consumerism the new politics? Watch the rest of the series here. Consumers making ethical choices are changing the market and the way companies operate in it. This has become a method … Read more
Today we launch a week-long series of videos and articles which explore the possibilities, challenges and potential of social enterprise in New Zealand. The first episode asks: is a charity also a social enterprise? The rise of social enterprise in recent years can be seen as an attempt by capitalism to self-medicate – fixing some … Read more