He Ako mo ngā Umanga Mahi Ngātahi
How to Start a Cooperative in Aotearoa
A free, open-access course rooted in Freirean critical pedagogy — for workers, communities, and tangata whenua building a better economy from the ground up.
Ngā Wahanga | Course Modules
He aha te Umanga Mahi Ngātahi?
What is a Cooperative? — History, values and the 7 ICA principles
02Ngā Momo Umanga | Types of Cooperatives
Worker, consumer, housing, platform, financial & producer co-ops in Aotearoa
03Te Ture me te Umanga | Law & Structure
Cooperatives Act 1996, Companies Act 1993, constitutions & governance
04Te Whakatuu | Setting Up Your Co-op
Step-by-step: from idea to incorporation, members, capital & rules
05Te Whakahaere | Running Your Co-op
Democratic governance, Loomio, decision-making & conflict resolution
06Te Ao Hou | Building the New World
Connecting co-ops, solidarity economy & the Mondragón model
Ko wai mātou | About This Course
This course uses Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed — education is not a banking transaction but a dialogue. Each module begins with a generative theme drawn from real working-class experience in Aotearoa, followed by critical reflection and practical action steps (praxis).
All content is free, open-source, and published under Creative Commons. Built by The Kiwi Dialectic.
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