Ask Kylie and Kelly where their businesses began and they’ll point to their nanas. From Pipiwai to the Cook Islands and Niue, their whakapapa anchors Lil Nana’s – the seed that grew three pakihi: Kensington Barbers, Moko Rua Studio, and Pearled Up Teeth Whitening. All are proudly Māori and Pasifika owned.

Lil Nana’s carries the names and recipes of formidable kuia: Nana Leslie Hempel Dhal, the baker who fed the whānau; Nana Vaughn Chapman (née Shortland), whose Māori kai travelled through generations; Kirianu Rata (née Strickland), bringing Cook Islands flavour; and Nana Soilini of Niue. Their legacy isn’t just in food – it’s in values: share, uplift, and serve te hāpori.

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The sisters run the mother ship – that is Lil Nana’s – and whānau, friends, and friends who have become whānau make up the kaimahi across the other three pakihi. Setting up under Māori lore also means tikanga guides how the spaces are used – with walls dividing where moko is carried out, where hair is groomed, where teeth are whitened, and where kai is prepared. Those cultural rituals are carried through every corner of the space, grounding the mahi in respect and tapu.

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Kylie and Kelly started with a simple spark – a love for kai and people – and launched in a recession. Real talk: hiring and working with whānau can be tough. They learned to hold aroha and accountability together, grounding decisions in tikanga. Premises were blessed with local mana whenua, and operations reflect Māori lore every day.

Their impact goes beyond the till – creating pathways for rangatahi, offering training and real skills. The vision is bold: help our people gain recognised skills without being forced through systems that don’t fit. They spoke openly about the need for Whāriki – a yearning to understand what the ecosystem looks like for pakihi Māori in Whangārei, and a belief that Whāriki can and is doing that. Identifying access to supports, and recognising Whāriki’s role in enabling that, has been key.

For anyone sitting on an idea, a recipe, a design, a dream – start where you stand. Build on your whakapapa, let tikanga guide the mahi, keep your community close, and when the headwinds come remember the sisters’ simple advice:

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GO HARD.