Nau mai, welcome to your place of innovation
estimated collective value of startup alumni
Founders supported
Participants through programmes and events
Invested in
startup alumni
The future of our economy is being built here.
At Creative HQ, we’re growing an ecosystem where innovation can thrive. Proudly based in Wellington, NZ.
We back bold ideas and the people behind them – founders, intrapreneurs and public sector leaders – who are shaping what’s next.
From start-ups to government, we empower change-makers to succeed, transform organisations, and prepare for the future of work. Together, we’re creating a more prosperous Aotearoa New Zealand.
We are Aotearoa’s leading innovation hub
Adapt
Tailored services for innovators within the public and private sector who are ready to upskill their teams
and future-proof their organisations.
Build
Support for founders and startups ready for what’s next. Whether you’re refining your MVP or entering new markets, this is your launchpad.
Connect
Get involved through events,
mentoring, coaching and more. Tap into our ecosystem and meet the people powering our economy. If you’re curious, you’re invited.
Your startup launchpad
Since 2003, we’ve supported 400+ startup founders
Empowering you to innovate
Across the globe, we’re working with leading organisations to drive impactful change.
Connect with the ecosystem
From our founders
A thriving ecosystem awaits
We’re proud to be the connector for founders, funders, mentors, corporates, government, public research organisations and universities. Our community may be smaller and younger than other global hubs, but our impact speaks volumes. We punch above our weight, and we’re proud of it.
Hutt City Council
Who we worked with Hutt City Council What we did together Co-design In June 2019, Hutt City Council (HCC) declared a climate emergency and set an organisational goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 to match Aotearoa New Zealand’s targets. The…
The (much better) Better Business Case
Guest post by David Stephen, Lead Author, NZ Better Business Cases Templates & Guidance Chances are that if you’ve been involved in a business case in New Zealand over the last 15 years, you will have come across the Better…
Getting your head around AI: a plain English guide
We regard ourselves as relatively AI literate here at Creative HQ. Working in innovation means it’s important to us to support the start ups, government agencies and corporates we work with to use the most recent technology, and to understand…
GovTech Accelerator success: Provincial Government of Bataan
Who we worked with Provincial Government of Bataan (PGB) What we did together GovTech Accelerator In 2024, with the support of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Creative HQ kicked off a GovTech Accelerator Programme with the…
Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao: taking an innovative approach to fund applications
Who we worked with Education New Zealand What we did together Co-designed a new approach to fund applications The 2018 New Zealand International Education Strategy called for a diversification of international education products linked to areas of New Zealand strengths….
What actually counts as GovTech? (And why your idea probably qualifies)
Say “GovTech” to most founders and they picture one thing: a piece of software sold to a government department. Fair enough, that’s part of it. But it’s a much bigger, weirder, more interesting space than that, and if you’re building…
Growing a sustainable future for agriculture, amplifying rangatahi voices & more: GovTech 2022 teams take on social good
Wellington – 8 December 2022: Boosting rangatahi engagement and supporting young women into sustainable agriculture careers are among the issues that 14 projects have tackled in New Zealand’s only government innovation programme, the GovTech Accelerator. Delivered by Wellington’s innovation hub,…
Supporting startups with big ideas
Who we worked with Climate focused startups What we did together 12-week accelerator programme The Climate Response Accelerator is a 12-week programme designed to help impact-focused entrepreneurs solve some of our planet’s most urgent challenges. With the Climate Crisis being…
Access Activator backs 6 accessibility projects
A platform making sport more accessible to thousands of children is just 1 of the successful projects selected for the inaugural Access Activator programme. Developed in partnership the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha and Creative HQ, the programme invited…
COUNT: A Wellington–Seattle story and the future of accounting software
Meet Wellington’s newest accounting startup: COUNT COUNT’s founders see the accounting SaaS industry as ripe for disruption – with large incumbents dominating the market, prices too high, and innovation having slowed. At the same time, accountants and bookkeepers are spending…
Government agencies, NGOs and startups coming together to tackle social and environmental root-cause problems in New Zealand
Creative HQ, Wellington’s Innovation hub, is pleased to commence its fifth GovTech Accelerator programme, which presents a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and government agencies to collaborate and tackle urgent social and environmental challenges Aotearoa is facing. Creative HQ and the…
Wellington’s ‘Creative Tech’ scene has a new starting point
Creative HQ wraps Creative Tech Activate Not all founders are ready to commit to a full accelerator or a longer-term incubator. But every founder needs somewhere to start – a place to test their ideas, find their footing, and connect…
Creative Couch
A series of webinars brought to you by Creative HQ with the support of our friends over at the Institute of Directors and WellingtonNZ. Demystifying innovation Episode 1: Defining innovation What does innovation look like, feel like and sound like…
The evolution of Wellington’s place of innovation: Creative HQ enters its 20th year with a brand new look
Wellington, 27 April 2022 Creative HQ was established in 2003 through Wellington’s economic development agency, at the time called Positively Wellington Business, and now known as WellingtonNZ. It was tasked with supporting the development of high-growth new businesses, with a…
Building a resilient Wellington, together with Claude
Who we worked with NZ Claude Ambassadors, Zuno Smart Lab and Wellington City Council (WCC) What we’re working on together The Claude Impact Lab Crisis management in Wellington isn’t a question of “if” – it’s “when.” Our community knows earthquakes,…
Innovation Showcase
On 7 December we took over the Beehive to celebrate New Zealand innovators working to solve some of Aotearoa’s most urgent challenges. From tackling migrant exploitation, to developing a new approach to foster care, 14 GovTech Accelerator teams that have been taking…
Spotlight: Pioneering Innovations for a Sustainable Future
Interview with Carl Vink from Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation What we did together Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation is a partner with us for the Climate Response Accelerator 2024 Carl Vink Chief Executive at Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation Whakatupu Aotearoa, a strategic philanthropic foundation…
Innovate for Trust: The Power of Responsiveness in Government
OPINION 26 August 2024 – Have you ever been freedom camping? Did you find a nice spot of grass and just pitch your tent? Have you ever done this on the lawn of Parliament? In Feb 2022, the grounds of…
Climate Response Accelerator 2024
In 2024, nine teams took part in Creative HQ’s Climate Response Accelerator, joining a growing cohort of ventures working at the intersection of climate action and commercial opportunity. Over an intensive three-month programme, these founders tested assumptions, refined their models…
Logan City Council
Who we worked with Logan City Council What we did together T7 Masterclass programme Key Skills Applied Innovation, Innovation delivery, Thought leadership Logan City Council has big plans to fast-forward the city’s growth as an innovative, dynamic, sustainable city of the…
GovTech Accelerator 2022: calling all startups and NGOs
For the past 4 years Creative HQ has been running the GovTech Accelerator, helping local and central government to use creativity and innovation to solve problems. Our goal is still the same: to leverage innovation to drive better outcomes for…
What’s it like hunting for a job in a Wellington tech company?
Wellington has a reputation for producing ambitious startups, with many people in the city angling to join a tech company to grow their career. But despite this being a growing and energised sector, there’s conflicting data about the job market…
Prototyping: how to test your idea before going to market
Do you remember wanting a particular toy when you were a kid? Maybe it was a Furby, or a Tamagotchi, or maybe a stick and hoop, depending on what generation you’re from. Everyone else had one and you were convinced…
Venture Up
Who we worked with Ministry of Youth Development and young kiwis What we did together 12-week programme Skills Applied innovation tools Since 2015, almost 250 youth (16–24 years old) have completed Creative HQ’s Venture Up programme, learning essential entrepreneurial leadership…
Fintech Hui Taumata 2026
Wellington was buzzing with energy as hundreds of innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders came together for Fintech Hui Taumata 2026 in Wellington. This is New Zealand’s flagship fintech event, bringing together leaders from government, financial services, technology and startups to collaborate…
Hack the Crisis
Who we worked with Startup organisations, local businesses and founders What we did together A 48-hour hackathon to respond to Covid immediate challenges Skills Problem discovery, market validation Skills Waikato supports Hack The Crisis – Wintec “What an amazing weekend…
Meet the startups building better financial services in New Zealand
A strong Fintech sector matters for New Zealand. Financial services shape how people save, borrow, invest, insure and run businesses. When these systems are more accessible, efficient and trustworthy, the benefits compound across the economy — from household resilience to…
Procurement works for the known solution, not the unknown.
In Dunedin, a person with a disability can answer their front door more safely and conveniently because of an AI-supported doorstep assistant. Communities around the country are pushing mapping carts through their neighbourhoods, crowdsourcing missing accessibility data – and Easy…
The resurgence of NZ Tech Rally
The NZ Tech Rally community and its annual conference isn’t just another event packed with buzzwords and polished presentations. Its core mission is to provide inclusive spaces for the Aotearoa tech community to celebrate, connect and grow together. They achieve…
Activate or Lab? A guide to Creative HQ’s startup programmes
If you’ve spent any time around Wellington’s startup ecosystem, you’ve probably heard us talk about Labs and Activate programmes in the same breath – Fintech Lab, Aurora Climate Lab, GovTech Activate, CreativeTech Activate. It’s easy to assume they’re all the…
Creative thinking set to be celebrated in the Capital at Mindset of Design Festival
Wellington – 12 April 2022 Creative thinkers, designers, innovators and entrepreneurs will be able to come together at the Capital’s annual design festival – Mindset of Design – from the 16th to the 20th of May as Omicron retreats from Wellington, and…
Building the ecosystem before the startup
Who we worked with Reserve Bank of Fiji What we’re working on together Fiji Innovation Hub The opportunity Fiji has ambition and a vision for how to grow the economy through local innovation. There is growing recognition that innovation is…
Spotlight: Nurturing Innovation in Agriculture
Interview with Stuart Kay from Ballance Agri-Nutrients What we did together Ballance Agri-Nutrients is a partner with us for the Climate Response Accelerator 2024 Stuart Kay, Innovation Lead at Ballance In the heart of New Zealand’s agricultural sector, innovation isn’t…
Spotlight: Motion Capital. Empowering Climate Innovation with Purpose
Interview with Lachlan Nixon, Founding Partner at Motion Capital What we did together Motion Capital is a partner with us for the Climate Response Accelerator 2024 Chris Harris & Lachlan Nixon of Motion Capital Motion Capital is a new venture…
Founder Stories – Tal Meser
Tal Meser always wanted to start a business. But he dropped out of University and found himself in debt and “living off noodles” when he came to Creative HQ and started working with us. After a couple of startup attempts,…
Founder Stories – Sasha Lockley
For Sasha Lockley, the founder of Money Sweet Spot, starting a fintech wasn’t about disrupting markets, it was about making fixing debt more human. Her mission is deeply personal: to create “the best place in the world to get out…
Founder Stories – Trent Mankelow
Investor, advisor, director – Trent’s done it all and Creative HQ has been there since the beginning. Optimal Usability Origins Trent and his co-founder Sam Ng met during their time together at Unisys back in the early 2000’s. Their respective…
Founder Stories – Mike Lovegrove
Mike Lovegrove started his founder journey by creating Bot the Builder (later named JRNY) back in 2017. We first started working with Mike when he brought his company into the 2018 Lightning Lab FinTech Accelerator. Mike’s story is a fantastic…
Founder Stories – Scotty Diamond
Scotty Diamond started his founder’s journey by creating Fit Rewards in 2022. We started working with Scotty when he brought his company into Creative HQ’s 2023 Impact Accelerator. Scotty has an inspirational story about overcoming adversity and giving your all…
“Government Can’t Innovate” is a myth. Here’s Why
Creative HQ’s Government Innovation Lead Jonnie Haddon sat down with David Downs, former CEO of New Zealand Story and incoming CEO of Education New Zealand, for a candid conversation about public sector innovation, AI and what it actually takes to…
Wellington Innovation Hack puts Gen Z in the driving seat
Four household-named Wellington organisations have tasked a team of local Gen Z innovators to find solutions to some of their most pressing problems. This week, the participants will reveal their ideas. Creative HQ’s first-ever Wellington Innovation Hack connected a cohort…
Philippine Anti-Red Tape Authority
Who we worked with ARTA (Philippine Anti-Red Tape Authority) What we did together T7 Masterclass in Innovation Since 2016 New Zealand and the Philippines have been working together on initiatives to improve the ease of doing business in the Philippines. In…
Ideation: how can you come up with great ideas quickly
Ideation is an activity that every person engages in almost every day without even realising it. When you’re weighing the options of what to have for dinner or considering which route will get you home quicker, you’re ideating. Cool, right?…
5 Ideation techniques to spark innovation
Ideation is a process in which you create a large number of diverse ideas, with the intention of quantity over quality. Common techniques include mind mapping, storyboarding and brainstorming, but sometimes using the same methods over and over again can stifle…
Does your idea have market potential?
How do you know if you’ve got a winning idea? If you think you might have a winning idea, start by running it through a market validation process. Testing the market is an effective way to tell if your idea is worth…
Innovation methodologies: Agile, Lean, design thinking
Chances are that you have encountered at least one of these terms throughout your career, but do you really know what they mean? We’ve put together a quick cheat sheet to help you navigate your way through the innovation jargon….
Creative HQ hero video
Creative HQ is your place of innovation. We help people around the world transform their ideas into real-world solutions. How? By giving them the energy and skills to innovate. Whether you have a problem to solve in government, hunger for…
Innovation methodologies: Agile, Lean, design thinking
Chances are that you have encountered at least one of these terms throughout your career, but do you really know what they mean? We’ve put together a quick cheat sheet to help you navigate your way through the innovation jargon….
We’ve innovated with
