Disruptive Innovation
2025 AWARD COMMENDATION
ŌKU creates wellness products grounded in rongoā (Māori medicine) and regenerative design. Every aspect of the business is built to give back to Papatūānuku.
The company operates from a off-grid solar-powered facility. It uses rainwater harvesting and a wastewater system that eliminates the need for piped services. Packaging is compostable and recyclable, with no plastic.
Products are developed using traditional Māori knowledge. Three national research collaborations are underway with Plant & Food Research and AgResearch. One of these projects is scaling cultivation of kū marahou, a native plant at risk of overharvesting. Another focuses on rongoā-based interventions for diabetes. And a third is developing a skin-healing product combining traditional plant medicine with collagen from koi carp, an invasive fish species.
ŌKU is Māori-led and B Corp certified. The company exports to Australia, Singapore and the Middle East, showing the viability of indigenous business on the global stage.
The judges said: "Ōku combines traditional indigenous knowledge with modern business to create natural health products that heal people and the planet. Its model supports local growers and honours rongoā practices, creating meaningful economic opportunities through the cultivation of native herbs. This is a business grounded in purpose and place."