About

We are a group of business focussed women, dedicated to helping each other navigate our way through the business journey, whatever stage we are at and whatever the size of the business.

 

The History of the Group

The group started in 2014 when Nikki King, was on the CSBM Business Course.

The group combined her passion for connecting people on social media and for low cost networking which was accessible by all.

 

At first the group was small. Here are just a few of our founding members: Adi McMaster (MartyGirl Skinfood), Jo Kempton (Happy Belly Ferments), Vickie Pickering (GibsonSheat and Rotary), Feija van Bokhoven (Experienz Immigration) but more soon followed as the word got around.

 

Meet ups were interesting in the early days, we’d meet up at someones house for lunch, which would often go all day. Soon we found our feet and went for a regular time and day across the month, with the 1st Friday Clareville Bakery meetup being the first (and still the most popular).

 

Now the group is over 800 women strong and has grown quite a few businesses. Up to now the growth has all  been by word of mouth.

 

There are now four breakfast meetings across the Wairarapa which are totally free to attend, each one with its own special character.

 

If you are a woman, or identify as a women, and are in Wairarapa, please feel free to join our FaceBook group for support and advice.

 

WWIB Administrator and Organiser

Nikki King

Nikki King

Administrator

Hi, my name is Nikki King and I am the administrator and founder of Wairarapa Women in Business. My passion is for connecting people and for the connections to be accessible to all no matter who you are.

I come from a varied background and have worked in a lot of different sectors. After being a stay at home mum, I decided I wanted to return to the workforce. It was hard trying to find a job with a 10 year break and no relevant New Zealand experience. I took myself to university to train to become a primary school teacher but what I found out was I hate paper work and was great with computers.  

After bailing out, I decided to start my own business. I found it fairly isolating by myself and decided to set up Wairarapa Women in Business. That was a number of years ago, last year in 2021 I teamed up with Catherine Rossiter-Stead to organise our first expo and awards dinner. It’s been a great ride so far, I can’t wait to see where it goes…