Meet Innovation Award winners Pipi Mā

We're big on innovation at Pipi Mā and always imaging new ways to solve problems and create value where it is needed most.

Who is Pipi Mā you ask and what is that we do? Let us introduce ourselves.

Adorable and wide-eyed with cheeky smiles, Pipi Mā are the cutest plush toys created for children with the ability to speak and sing 100% in the Māori language. There are four to collect and with the push of a button the Pipi Mā gang will have your whole family speaking, dancing and singing in te reo Māori.

As a Māori speaking home, we quickly learnt how limited we were in product and exposure to the Māori language within our communities. It became apparent that the language had been confined to certain domains like the marae and classroom. We began to see more and more where the language wasn't as opposed to where it was. This was a major problem that we knew needed immediate attention and Pipi Mā was one of our solutions.

In 2010, with a young child at home (we now have 3), we wanted to create something fun and interactive that our daughter found appealing and that she could relate to.

On 01 November 2016, we launched Pipi Mā, the world's first 100% Māori speaking dolls for everyone to see. The response was overwhelming and Pipi sold out in just 36 hours. What we thought was a product for a tiny niche market was in fact, in demand by the masses. Parents, teachers, aunties, uncles, tourists and proud kiwis all wanted a piece of Pipi Mā and they were so enthusiastic about the fun and exciting way they could celebrate the Māori language.

There is nothing new or different about dolls that speak and sing, but add the Māori language and we have something never seen before. Sometimes innovation is about seeing what everybody sees and thinking what nobody has thought. We don't necessarily need to reinvent the wheel to call ourselves innovators.

We were very proud to have Pipi Mā recognised at three different awards last month.

Pipi Mā placed at the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards on 07 October 2017 as a Finalist in two categories and as Winners of the Holland Beckett Law Innovation Award.

Pipi Mā also placed as a Finalist in the Ngā Aho Category at the NZ Best Design Awards for the overall product and brand design.

Perhaps the most rewarding of all ceremonies was the NZ Innovation Awards where Pipi Mā placed as a Finalist in the Innovation in Māori Development category and won the People's Choice Award. Winning that award confirmed to us that Pipi Mā is on the right track and that we're doing what the people want.

We're on a mission to normalise the Māori language and we want to do that through innovation and hope to see Pipi Mā in every household throughout New Zealand so everyone can enjoy the treasure that makes our country unique.