Poutama Development Investment

Before you apply

Two numbers decide whether this is for you, and they rule out most side hustles. The business must have traded for more than 12 months and turn over at least $80,000 a year. Below either of those, this is not the doorway — come back when you are there.

It is matched funding, not a grant you simply receive. Poutama puts in half up to a maximum of $10,000, so a $20,000 project means you find $10,000 yourself. Above that the ratio shifts against you — on a $30,000 project Poutama still caps at $10,000.

What it covers is growth beyond normal operations: trade missions, intellectual property protection, feasibility studies, prototype development, business planning and consultancy; specialty equipment, website development, software and marketing materials where they are industry-specific; and short courses, management support and industry training for owners and staff.

What it will not do is prop up a business or cover normal operating costs. Poutama say that plainly and it is the most common reason an application goes nowhere.

You also have to show you could not get the money from a bank or a private investor. Have that answer ready rather than being asked for it.

Returning applicants must speak to their Business Adviser before re-applying — 0800 476 882. Poutama offer to visit or meet virtually to understand the business first, and taking that up is worth more than a stronger written application. A business plan template downloads from their page. Applications go through apply.poutama.co.nz.

An independent charitable trust running since 1988, funded from its own investment income rather than an annual appropriation. Some older listings elsewhere describe this as the Business Investigation Investment with different limits. It has been renamed and the criteria have changed.