Waikato Māori podcaster lands on Young New Zealander of the Year Award

Te Kahukura Boyton, the 21-year-old Māori Millionaire podcast host and founder from Tokoroa, Waikato.

“At my own rock bottom, I made a commitment to never be in this position again and to give growing wealth my ultimate attention.”

These are the words of a Māori finance podcaster from Waikato, Te Kahukura Boynton, who is one of 10 semi-finalists for Kiwibank’s Young New Zealander of the Year awards, in the University of Canterbury category.

Boynton, 21, from Tokoroa, is one of two from Waikato who made the list.

She is well-known for establishing and hosting her podcast, the Māori Millionaire; her mission to help whānau and young people find financial independence.

She wants to spur change for underprivileged communities such as Māori and Pasifika and reduce the wealth gap in New Zealand.

Boynton told the Waikato Herald she was “completely surprised” when she found out about the award.

Te Kahukura Boyton said her podcasting began at 17 when she was a broke uni student.

“I feel extremely privileged and honoured to be selected. The opportunity to represent my community in an award like this is something I don’t take for granted.”

Her podcast idea came to light when she had “$0 to my name” as a 17-year-old.

“I remember crying, wondering how I was to pay my bills as a young university student.”

At that “rock bottom”, she committed to never being in the same position again, and wanted to inspire others like her to do the same.

She knows financial wellbeing affects everyone but in New Zealand, “Māori and Pasifika have lower rates of homeownership, savings, KiwiSaver and net worth amounts”.

She believes those things can be positively impacted when “the conversation, action, and commitment to building a better relationship with money” starts when young.

“I started Māori Millionaire to normalise this conversation because unfortunately, it’s something my community not only struggles with but it’s also a ‘taboo’ topic for many, only making it harder to learn about money.

“It’s important to inspire rangatahi because I understand that by diversifying representation, we’re also diversifying those who engage in the information.

“It’s much easier and more relatable to follow someone who looks like you, speaks like you, sounds like you, or has a similar cultural background as you.”

She’s since sparked a growing community of over 60,000 people, motivating youth to take control of their financial futures.

“I’m really proud that the Māori Millionaire Podcast offers free support to thousands of people every single month.

“I’ve made financial education so much more accessible for Māori than it has ever been before - something I’m really happy to have played a part in doing.”

Her ultimate goal is to be a millionaire by 25, something her podcast leads her and others on the journey to.

“Since then, I’ve achieved different milestones that continue to bring me closer to my big vision - things like $10k, $20k months in business.

“I know that it is only a matter of time, consistency, investing, and showing up before bigger milestones will be achieved.”

Last year, she was also recognised as one of 25 women under 25 making a positive difference in New Zealand, and made YWCA’s Y25 list.

Boynton said the biggest inspiration for her podcast is the younger version of herself.

“I think growing up ... I never saw people that looked like me in the finance space, it made it seem really far-fetched like I couldn’t do it.

“I wish I could’ve watched something like this as a teenager. It just feels impossible if there isn’t even one similarity between them and who we are.

“I wish I could’ve seen someone who looked like me and talked like me, and that was definitely for younger me to know that kids like me are also able.”

The University of Canterbury category, which is one of seven in the awards is for the leaders of tomorrow, brimming with the potential to build a bright future for Aotearoa. These people strive to improve themselves, their communities, and their nation.

The top three finalists for the awards will be announced on February 26.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.