IDDS Tairawhiti 2025 Final Report
About IDDS Tairāwhiti 2025
IDDS Tairāwhiti 2025 was a three-week hands-on summit that was held in Tolaga Bay, with community-based projects in Tolaga Bay, Ruatoria, Mahia, TeReinga, and Hicks Bay. The theme of the summit was “Resilient Indigenous Communities and sought to promote indigenous innovations and entrepreneurship. The summit took place from September 1st to September 20th and had participants from eight countries: Botswana, Bhutan, Colombia, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Uganda, and the US.
IDDS Tairāwhiti 2025 was the second IDDS to be held in Aotearoa (New Zealand). The summit included hands-on activities, practical examples, design process exercises, sketch modelling, community engagement, a Maori business canvas, and a lot of co-creation and camaraderie.
IDDS Tairāwhiti was once again hosted by the Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust (TBHCT) with support from the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN), the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), MIT D-Lab, These Hands GSSE, University of Auckland, Uniservices, Hauiti Marae, TolagaBay Surf Life Saving Club, TAKT, Taiki E!, Rimuroa-Mangapoike Trust, Taniwha Connections, The Aunty's Kitchen, and Uawa Rugby Club.
The goal
The goal of the summit was to upskill and connect local Māori community innovators with other indigenous change-makers, innovators, designers, sector specialists, faculty, and students, and to tap into a variety of indigenous knowledge systems. The summit drew on the IDDS philosophy of co-creating with others to develop solutions to improve the lives and livelihoods of people in the Tairawhiti and Wairoa region.
Projects
- Flax Extraction Technology
- Berry Extraction Technology
- Charcoal Stove For Households
- Glass Products Making Technology
- Blackberry Bush Extracting Tools
- Seed Planter Tools
About IDDS
The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) was co-founded by MIT D-Lab Founding Director Amy Smith and Kendra Leith of MIT, Professor Ken Pickar of CalTech, and Professor Benjamin Linder and Laura Stupin of Olin College of Engineering. The summits are multi-week, hands-on immersive experiences that bring together people from all walks of life to work with local participants to address community-based challenges. The first IDDS was held in 2007 at MIT and there have been more than 20 summits in 15 different countries since that time.