The Ministry of Awesome has significantly expanded its presence in Christchurch, moving from a 400-square-metre shared space with Ara Institute of Canterbury to an 1,100-square-metre floor on Colombo Street in the city centre. The new premises, set to be officially opened later this month, are designed to foster a collaborative environment by minimizing walls and encouraging spontaneous interaction among entrepreneurs.

Graham Scown, who became chief executive last year, emphasized that the expansion aims to create a dense, interconnected start-up community. The larger, open-plan layout includes shared spaces such as a kitchen, event areas, and a deck, which serve as hubs for exchanging ideas and networking. This reflects the Ministry’s philosophy that start-ups thrive when founders are surrounded by peers, investors, and experienced entrepreneurs who can offer guidance and support.

The organisation currently occupies about two-thirds of the new floor space, hosting 21 start-ups alongside its own team, with a total of roughly 60 people. Once the remaining area is operational, capacity is expected to exceed 100 occupants. Scown noted that some start-ups which had outgrown the previous space at Te Ōhāka are already expressing interest in returning.

Founded in 2012 following the Christchurch earthquakes, Ministry of Awesome was established to encourage innovative approaches to rebuilding the city. While its original mission remains influential, the organisation has since broadened its scope to become New Zealand’s largest start-up support entity, with a national reach beyond its Christchurch headquarters.

The Ministry focuses on scalable businesses that address significant global problems, regardless of sector. Its flagship programme, Founder Catalyst, works intensively with 40 to 60 start-ups each year, while Startup Aotearoa offers early-stage coaching across the country in partnership with Wellington-based Creative HQ. Entrepreneurs-in-residence, successful founders themselves, provide mentorship to participants.

Survival rates for Ministry of Awesome-supported start-ups reportedly outperform broader industry statistics. Scown cited figures indicating a 74% survival rate for their companies compared to 58% for bootstrapped start-ups and 32% for those backed by venture capital overall. To date, the organisation has assisted more than 330 start-ups that have collectively raised over NZ$345 million in private capital and generated more than NZ$93 million in annual revenue, in addition to creating over 1,080 jobs.

Support for Ministry of Awesome’s activities comes from a mixture of local and central government agencies and private partners, including ChristchurchNZ, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Auckland Council through GridAKL, and corporate backer Kiwibank. The organisation also hosts various events aimed at fostering community, such as Coffee & Jam meet-ups and Electrify Aotearoa, a national event focused on women founders and investors.

Among its notable alumni is automotive software company Partly, which pivoted from an earlier start-up conceived at the Ministry’s previous location. Founded by Levi Fawcett, Partly utilises artificial intelligence to identify and trade vehicle parts. In June, it secured US$50 million in a Series B funding round, valuing the company at US$500 million. Fawcett now serves on the Ministry of Awesome’s board of trustees.

Scown believes that forming a concentrated entrepreneurial community is particularly important in New Zealand, where geographic dispersion challenges the organic development of start-up clusters. Christchurch’s compact central city offers an advantageous setting, allowing founders, businesses, and support organisations to operate closely together, unlike larger and more sprawling cities such as Auckland.

Drawing on his personal experience—having grown up and studied in Christchurch, built a start-up there, and contributed to the region’s earthquake recovery efforts—Scown views the city as an ideal base for innovation. He highlights lifestyle factors, including proximity to outdoor recreation areas like Mt Hutt and Akaroa, as further appeals for talent.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Awesome aims to develop its Christchurch model into a national network of start-up hubs linked by shared expertise and infrastructure. Scown characterises such spaces as critical economic infrastructure, enabling successive waves of companies to thrive without needing to rebuild resources from scratch. The goal is for Christchurch to serve as a scalable blueprint that attracts central government interest and support, helping to establish a distinct New Zealand approach to innovation and entrepreneurship.