Building the next generation of "Tumeke" world leaders

Jay McLaren Harris is leading the way for rangatahi as one of the youngest CEOs in Aotearoa. Harris is the founder of Tumeke Enterprise which aims to inspire and build the next generation of world leaders.

He says, "We're on a mission to change the world. The reality is that this world 'sux' and that what we need to do is changed it!"

Aside from that, his strategies might seem a bit out of the ordinary but Jay believes it's what needs to be done.

"What we have to do is we need to disrupt every system that's out there and that's what I'm doing myself as a 19-year-old Māori entrepreneur, Chief Executive of an organisation that has a goal to achieve of influencing the lives of a million people by 2021."

Tumeke Enterprise was established two years ago, firstly as a clothing business, then it developed into a movement to inspire and grow the next leaders who are needed today.

"There's that saying young people are the leaders of tomorrow; that's not true. Our young people are leading in every area whether that be local politics, mental health, whether that be business and entrepreneurship. Young people are leaders of today."

Jay continues to encourage this generation to strive for greatness using entrepreneurship as a vehicle to achieve that.

"When they get into business it's to solve the social issues that we face in Aotearoa, and that's the beautiful thing about rangatahi getting into entrepreneurship. You get to see they are making a change, they are making a difference, but it will be even better if we all work together."

Tumeke Enterprise is set to go on tour to schools, community groups, local businesses, and corporate businesses around the country.