Whitecliffe’s Master of Business Innovation and Leadership (MBIL) programme is proud to announce a new partnership with the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), bringing together postgraduate students, educators, and secondary school entrepreneurs across Aotearoa.
Through this collaboration, MBIL students and lecturers will volunteer at YES events, supporting and mentoring high school students as they develop real businesses over the course of a year. The partnership creates a dynamic, reciprocal learning environment where academic insight meets fresh, real-world entrepreneurial energy.
Dr Mariapaola McGurk, Programme Lead for MBIL at Whitecliffe, emphasises the deeper purpose behind the initiative:
“The purpose of learning business, innovation, and leadership is to enhance and improve society. Part of that is the sharing of the knowledge you are being taught. I have taken part in the Young Enterprise Programme and the excitement and energy in these young entrepreneurs was amazing! I think students will learn from the youth and the youth will learn from the MBIL students.”
The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme has been shaping New Zealand’s future innovators for over 45 years. The experiential programme challenges senior high school students to ideate, launch, and run their own businesses, simulating the full business lifecycle from concept through to reporting.
Elizabeth Nicholson, Auckland Regional Coordinator for YES, highlights the shared vision:
“The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme is an experiential programme where senior high school students create and run a business for a year. Students complete four challenges throughout the year, mimicking the business lifecycle from ideation to reporting.
My team and I are always inspired by the students who complete the YES programme, and I think that MBIL students will be too. This partnership also brings a shared goal of innovation in New Zealand, something that YES has been doing on a high school level for 45 years, and Whitecliffe extends that.
I believe that customers don’t buy products, they buy solutions to problems, which I see as the foundation for innovation in business, a fresh way of doing things. It’s so important to teach Rangatahi innovation, to be a changemaker and a leader. Innovation also isn’t just for business, we’re teaching students to think outside the box, to question things, and to come up with fresh solutions.”
Dr Fay Amaral, Whitecliffe CEO, reflects on the partnership:
“This partnership reflects our commitment to meaningful mentorship and to learning that has real impact in community. By partnering with the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), our Master of Business Innovation and Leadership students have the opportunity to share their experience while learning alongside young entrepreneurs who bring fresh thinking, energy, and ambition. Together, we’re fostering a culture of collaboration that supports youth innovation and develops leadership capability across generations.”
At its core, the partnership recognises that innovation is not just about business, it’s about problem-solving, creativity, and leadership. By connecting postgraduate learners with emerging young entrepreneurs, Whitecliffe’s MBIL programme is taking an important step toward embedding innovation within communities and contributing to a more resilient, forward-thinking society.
As the programme enters its first year, this collaboration marks an early step in building meaningful, real-world impact through education.
