Opportunity Hamilton

Young Enterprise Scheme, training and business support

The Smart Waikato Trust is the regional co-ordinator of the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

The scheme encourages Year 12 and 13 secondary school students to work in teams to create and run a company during the school year.

Throughout the year, participants get to set up a company, invest real money, design and produce real products or services and make profits. It’s a great way for older teens to learn about setting goals, decision making, team work, financial literacy, risk management, time management and communication.

YES enables students to learn about setting up and operating a business, while collecting credits towards their NCEA certificate. Through first-hand experience of business and financial planning, sales and marketing, business communication and production, they stand, proud to be called 'tomorrow's entrepreneurs'.

For more details, please contact Mary Jensen, Smart Waikato.

SMEs contribution to employment in Hamilton stands at 33% which equates to 25,810 employees. The growth of SMEs in Hamilton city between 2000 and 2008 was 31% which is above the 25% percent growth recorded in the rest of New Zealand over the same time period. Hamilton is the home of the mighty Chiefs and Waikato rugby teams and the 26,000 capacity Waikato Stadium. Hamilton will host 3 matches in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Hamilton will host the New Zealand round of the prestigious V8 Supercar Championship in the city for the fourth year in 2011. The inaugural race in April 2008 attracted 172,000 attendees plus 5,000 people associated with the running of the event. The event generated $28.3 million of new money into the local economy in the first year and is estimated to generate $156 million over the seven years that the event will run. Over 100,000 people annually visit New Zealand National Agriculture Fieldays held at Mystery Creek (10 minutes south of Hamilton), which is the largest agricultural event held in the Southern Hemisphere. Each year generates around $290 million sales. As the centre of the thoroughbred industry, Hamilton has an excellent racing venue at Te Rapa. A national trotting track is 15 minutes drive from Hamilton in Cambridge. Raglan is 40 minutes by road from Hamilton and home to one of the world’s longest left-hand surf breaks.