Management Capability Fund — Capability Vouchers

Before you apply

You have to be trading already. business.govt.nz spells it out — operating in a commercial environment. An idea or a business not yet selling does not qualify, so this is not a start-up doorway. Work and Income cover that stage and are listed here.

Māori trusts and incorporations under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, and organisations managing Māori assets under multiple ownership, are written into the eligibility criteria alongside privately owned businesses. Very few business support schemes do that, and it means an ahu whenua trust can use this for governance or management training.

This is the thing people are actually looking for when they search for a $5,000 small business grant. It is real, but it is co-funding — the government pays up to half and you pay the rest, so a $10,000 engagement costs you $5,000.

You cannot apply for a voucher directly. You register with the network, meet a Growth Advisor for a discovery session, and they work through your business with you. If a management capability gap comes up that training would fix, the Growth Advisor may issue a voucher. No advisor conversation, no voucher.

Vouchers can only be used with providers registered in the network's Marketplace, so you choose from their list rather than bringing your own trainer.

You need a New Zealand Business Number to register, and your GST number. If you do not have an NZBN it is free at nzbn.govt.nz and takes about ten minutes. Registration itself is a 5 to 10 minute online form and a Growth Advisor from your region should be in touch within 5 working days.

The advisor conversation is free and worth having on its own, whether or not a voucher follows. Fourteen Regional Business Partners cover the motu, jointly managed by Callaghan Innovation and MBIE. Poutama Trust delivers Regional Business Partner support for pakihi Māori, so ask for them by name if you want a kaupapa Māori adviser — Poutama is listed separately here.