WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Female entrepreneurship is growing year on year in New Zealand and according to the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2018 (research undertaken across 57 economies across the world) one in three business owners in New Zealand are women, making us the fourth strongest country internationally in that category. When you consider women’s second-class status in many other nations it’s not surprising we have a slightly easier road than others, but there’s still a long way to go. So who do these women turn to when they need help and advice? There are many business support networks but in more recent years, new organisations have appeared providing exclusively female assistance. We talked to three women running some of the biggest of these organisations, providing support for the growing number of female entrepreneurs in our country.

RACHEL LEWIS – SHE OWNS IT

Rachel Lewis will proudly tell you she’s never had a ‘proper job’ in her life. But the truth is far more impressive than that. After completing a political science degree she went to London with a friend, where they both found work as nannies. It was a job they excelled at, and soon they were being asked for recommendations for other nannies. “We thought ‘Why don’t we start an agency here?’” says Rachel, who co-founded KiwiOz Nannies with her friend. “We had always wanted