TORU: Rautaki Bookkeeping, MMB Builders and Rerehua Boutique

TORU is a new series where we kōrero with three pakihi about business.

Find out what our whānau from Rautaki Bookkeeping, MMB Builders and Rerehua Boutique have to say about the pros and cons of owning your own pakihi.

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Rautaki Bookkeeping

Indiyah Giles (Ngati Torehina Ki Mataure O Hau, Waikato-Tainui, Ngati Raukawa)

Rautaki Bookkeeping specialise in providing bookkeeping, payroll and tax return services for small pakihi across Aotearoa.

Why did you start your own pakihi?

To start using my own strengths and talents toward more meaningful kaupapa that actually makes a difference in growing the SME sector in Aotearoa.

What's the best thing about being a pakihi owner?

Seeing the fruit of my own labour and the endless potential for growth + reach. 

What's the hardest thing about running your own pakihi?

Finding a balance with work/life - being strong with my own boundaries to ensure I am prioritising my whanau and personal health/well-being. 

MMB Builders

Meagan Alanotama (Ngati Tuwharetoa me Ngati Porou)

MMB Builders Auckland is an experienced, whanau-owned building company. They're renovation and alteration specialists who enjoy building relationships almost as much as they enjoy building homes.

Why did you start your own pakihi?

We started our pakihi to allow us the opportunity to get ahead in the way we felt was right for our whānau. We needed the flexibility around our whānau as we had both sets of our parents staying with us.   Between my tāne and I we were confident that skill set we had under our belt was good enough to give it a go. We both went from secure incomes to the calculated risks of potentially not having a regular consistent income until we got MMB Builders Ltd to a steady place.

What’s the best thing about being a pakihi owner?

The flexibility! Haha! But flexibility doesn't mean that you have days off all the time as the mahi still needs to be done, but it does mean that if anything comes up for our son's kura or sports commitments,  then I/we can be there.  If my whānau is unwell, then I can tend to them. 8years later, we still have to be really wise about our time to ensure there is a good balance between mahi and whānau.  

What’s the hardest thing about running your own pakihi?

One of the hardest things is when our economy is on a decline, it is a direct impact on the entire trade industry so having to continually plan and have contingencies in place keeps us on our toes.  

The other hard thing is with the type of mahi we do, it requires a lot of different moving parts such as banks, architects, engineers, council etc. so there is a lot of work behind the scenes to keep the momentum moving for our clients and although it can be challenging at times. It makes us feel good that our clients are feeling really informed the whole way through. Some people really underestimate the immense amount of mahi that is needed to get to a building consent stage. So we do take pride and time to ensure our clients understand each stage of the build process.  

Rerehua Boutique

Ashley Pihema & Kelly Pihema-Berridge (Kai Tahu, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi)

Rerehua Boutique started as a lockdown project and by May 2022 they had launched an e-commerce business online. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau Rerehua Boutiques kaupapa is creating taonga that celebrates the indigenous language and heritage of Aotearoa. 

Why did you start yourown pakihi?

We started our business during the rāhui. We wanted to create contemporary taonga that featured the reo and mātauranga in a way that it could be worn in all spaces; casual, professional or formal wear.

What’s the best thingabout being a pakihi owner?

The best thing about being a business owner is that we can work at our own pace and manage the time more efficiently around our tamariki and whānau.

What’s the hardestthing about running your own pakihi?

As a business owner you are wearing many pōtae so it's challenging to juggle the different roles

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