For Sarah Rennie and Kim Tuaine of Oyster Workshop, passion is all about seeing creatives and start-up businesses thrive.
For the duo behind Oyster Workshop and its offshoot retail platform Oyster & Moon, providing a tailored consultancy network that empowers Māori and Pacific businesses to thrive is
Since launching Oyster Workshop, what have been some of the key lessons you’ve learned about one another?
Sarah: When I founded Oyster Workshop, I wasn’t thinking specifically about having a business partner – but in the first year or two, it became clear that I really did want someone to do this journey with. Finding the right person wasn’t about luck; it was intentional. I needed someone with the same values and work ethic, but also the skills to complement mine and the courage to challenge me.
That foundation means we have absolute trust in each other and the resilience to hold to our vision, no matter what. In any partnership, there are moments when one of us is running on empty, but with two of us, no one ever falls behind. We take turns pushing, pulling, and making sure we both keep moving forward.
Kim: I met Sarah when I was leading a Pacific organisation, still quite green in Pacific community politics and naively applying an Australian approach to leadership that simply didn’t work in Aotearoa. I quickly learned I needed to adapt my style to create space for relationships.
Fortunately, I met Sarah just months after returning to Aotearoa. She had recently started Oyster Workshop and, like me, was seeking stronger connections to her Pacific identity and value-aligned work. Despite different professional backgrounds, we shared remarkable similarities.
We both have Cook Island Māori fathers, we’re resilient Gen Xers born in the same month, we’d both built successful careers in male-dominated fields – mine in law, hers in corporate leadership. We’re both mothers to boys whose partners had been primary caregivers. We’d both been labelled as not brown enough, too bossy, too demanding – essentially “too much” in many spaces, which is typical for women in leadership.
When I first met Sarah, I immediately felt a connection – like finding a kindred spirit. She possesses this beautiful curiosity about everything. Though she often downplays her academic abilities, she has one of the sharpest intellects I’ve encountered, matched with tremendous capacity for work and a strong ethical foundation. She’s honourable, generous, brilliant, and tenacious in ways people don’t always appreciate.
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Advertise with NZME.We had worked together before I joined Oyster Workshop, discussing how to overcome structural barriers our communities face. We kept concluding that individualism doesn’t serve our communities – it’s only by moving collectively that we can create intergenerational change, particularly for women. Committing to each other in business gave us permission to be audacious and dream big. Alone, we were frustrated watching equity gaps widen, but together we found that with imagination, audacity, belief, commitment and curiosity, meaningful change becomes possible.
Working alongside Sarah, I’ve learned that creating change happens through small intentional daily steps that eventually add up to significant shifts. Most importantly, I’ve discovered what we all truly seek is simple – community and connection – and that relationships make everything possible and worthwhile.
How do you motivate each other?
Kim: Launching Oyster & Moon was a real do-or-die moment. To really commit to not only launching an online department store that was the vehicle for a regenerative, collectivised digital economy for Māori and Pacific creators and entrepreneurs but also a bespoke tech development seemed like a huge mountain to climb.
We knew what was needed and what was missing, and we wanted to ensure that the IP behind the platform was protected and that at the end of the day we retained ownership over the platform. This meant we had no other choice other than to build from the ground up. It was Sarah’s operational genius that gave me the confidence that we could do it and enabled me to have faith that it would work. Honestly, I’m still in awe at her operational skill and how she managed to navigate all of the processes and interdependencies between every single aspect of the platform and then the business itself to bring it to life.
Initially, my role apart from the structure, initial vision work, strategy and systems rationale was very much a supporting one because Sarah did all of the heavy lifting with the technical aspects of the business, which is still ongoing. I do think that really knowing each other’s strengths and not being ego-driven has been a huge help, but it’s a complex and evolving beast and I guess we’ve become accustomed to tag teaming when it comes to prioritising different workstreams. I know that if I don’t move through something I need to do quickly then I’m holding up Sarah’s work and it’s that awareness of the interdependent and interconnected nature of our work that keeps me moving.
The learning has also been huge seeing Oyster & Moon through its MVP stage has really added to our skills and knowledge. We now know all of the technical aspects and automation that need to be refined to enhance not just the customer and user experience but also the business as a whole and that knowledge is really empowering and I’m excited about this next phase of the business.
You both have a passion for seeing our Pasifika and Māori businesses thrive – what have been some of the key moments you are proud of since you launched?
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Advertise with NZME.Sarah: There really are too many moments to choose from, but the launch of Oyster & Moon stands out. Knowing where it’s headed now, especially considering we self-funded it, is something we’re proud of as a bespoke online retail platform. It’s not just one big thing though – it’s the small moments and powerful conversations throughout the journey that make me so grateful for what I get to do every day.
I think our relational methodology is key to making an impact for small businesses, and I’m proud that we haven’t wavered from it. We’re willing to say no if it means not compromising on what’s best for the businesses we support and creating the change we want to see in the world.
Kim: The first physical manifestation of Oyster & Moon in concept store form in Britomart in July and then again December 2024 were big moments. Customers loved the products, creators and activations and it was amazing to have the offering validated by such a diverse audience. It also gave our creators the opportunity to engage with their customers and gain feedback across different demographics which they are using to enhance their offerings into different export markets.
An unexpected highlight was having our own communities come in and experience the store and express their pride in having an authentic, diverse and beautiful representation of our combined cultural IP in a place like Britomart.
Then it’s all the small, everyday moments that happen in our rapidly growing collective of Māori and Pacific creators. The collaborations, the sharing of knowledge and resources and the support and aroha they share. That’s the stuff that really makes my heart happy.
By nature, Māori and Pasifika peoples are inherently creative. How do your day-to-day interactions with these communities inspire you to be a better leader?
Kim: To be honest, I just feel so lucky that I get to do what I do every day and that for the first time in my professional life, I get to express who I am fully and that is all down to the amazing community of people that surround us. The fact that we also get to experience the magic our community create through their art. Businesses and culture really motivates me to keep pushing ahead.
Sarah: Every day, I’m inspired by the resilience, resourcefulness, collective spirit and creativity of our Māori and Pasifika communities. An ability to innovate, adapt, and hold onto culture in a fast-paced world challenges me to think outside the box and stay grounded in purpose. It reminds me that leadership isn’t just about strategy – it’s about being adaptable, compassionate, and always looking for ways to uplift others. Their creativity pushes me to be a better listener, a better thinker, and ultimately a better leader.
What are you looking forward to working on in 2025?
Sarah: For me, 2025 isn’t about looking forward – it’s about being present. It’s about appreciating each day as it unfolds, finding joy in the simple things: the warmth of the sun, the sounds around me, meeting a stranger and sharing a moment of humanity, a home-cooked meal with family, and the quiet moments in between. Rather than chasing what’s next, I want to fully experience what’s now recognising that there is already so much to be grateful for.
Kim: Growing the regenerative aspect of Oyster & Moon so that we have an alternative to the extractive economic model that benefits nobody that’s currently tanking globally. Also, our veggie garden at home … self-sufficiency is becoming an essential not nice to have.
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