Western Heights win Dragon's Den event

Back from left, Melanie Curry, Debra Edwards, Toby Apperley. Front, Joe Hutchison and Bryan Mantuhac.

A group of young entrepreneurs from Western Heights High School have taken out the regional Dragon's Den event, sending them to the nationals for the Young Enterprise Scheme.

Sixteen teams from Rotorua, Taupo and Tokoroa high schools took part in the event last month. Each group spent months developing a business, which they ran themselves and then presented their work to a panel of business mentors.

Western Heights High School won with their company Emergency Traveller Pack.

Melanie Curry from Western Heights was also selected to represent the region in an Enterprise in Action event in Auckland next month.

"Our first product that we have created is called the Kiwi Travel Kit. This kit has all the items that a tourist would need while travelling through New Zealand," Melanie said.

They divided the kit into three sections - safety, convenience and travel tips and tricks.

"We surveyed 100 tourists staying at backpackers in Rotorua and at Skyline Skyrides to see if the Kiwi Travel Kit would be worthwhile.

"Our results were positive so we decided to continue with our idea."

The business team is made up of Debra Edwards (communication manager), Joe Hutchison (production manager), Bryan Mantuhac (marketing manager), Toby Apperley (finance manager) and Melanie (chief executive).

"When we won I think we were all relieved. We all put in endless hours of work, making sure our speeches were perfect and that our slideshow matched our speeches at the correct times," Melanie said.

"We did many practices of our presentation weeks before, correcting it so it was under the five-minute mark."

She said if she was successful in the Auckland Enterprise in Action event she will have the opportunity to go overseas and visit international companies to learn how they work.

- For more information about the scheme go online to www.youngenterprise.org.nz.