Neria Brewerton, Programme Manager

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). 

My background is a bit of a magpie’s nest, varied, colourful and collected from all sorts of places. I’ve run my own businesses in construction, tech and importing handmade goods, and I’ve worked across economic development, film and TV, and health. I’ve always followed my curiosity, which has meant jumping into new industries, learning fast, and finding the interesting threads that connect them.

That mix of experience and the adaptability it forced me to build fits naturally with entrepreneurship. CIE felt like the right place to bring all of that together: supporting people as they explore ideas, stretch their thinking and try something new, whether they’re researchers, students or staff stepping into innovation for the first time.

What does your job involve? 

I design and deliver entrepreneurship and innovation programmes for students and staff across the university. My team brings these programmes to life, from researchers exploring commercialisation to undergraduates stepping into innovation for the first time. My role is part strategist, part coach, part problem solver, and part ‘keep-the-wheels-turning’ so our learners have the best possible experience.

What is your favourite part of your job? 

Seeing people surprise themselves. There’s a moment in every programme where someone realises, “Oh … I can actually do this.” Watching confidence grow, ideas sharpen and teams back themselves, that’s the good stuff.

I love seeing my team flourish too. They’re such a good bunch, and watching them lean into their strengths, back themselves and take real ownership of the work … that’s a quiet joy in the background of everything we do.

What are some highlights from your time with CIE so far? 

A big standout has been Solve It, our five-day, design-thinking sprint with 100 students tackling real industry challenges. The energy is incredible. Students work with people they’d never normally meet, push themselves in new ways, and walk out with skills and confidence they didn’t know they had. It’s huge, chaotic and brilliant, and by the end of the week I needed a very long lie down.

Then there’s Kurutao, which is a different kind of magic. It’s grounded in kaupapa Māori and leadership, and you really see students step into themselves in a meaningful way. Getting them out of bed at 6am to help make breakfast on the marae was character-building for all of us. But the relationships, growth and sense of belonging that comes through on those haerenga make every early morning worth it.

Any words of advice for students and staff at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journeys? 

Lean into curiosity, and don’t underestimate perseverance. Entrepreneurship isn’t just about ‘the big idea.’ It’s about following the threads that interest you, asking questions, testing assumptions, and keeping going, going, going, when things get hard.

Even if you don’t end up building a start-up, what you learn along the way: resilience, creative problem-solving, collaboration, comfort with uncertainty, will help you in every part of your work and personal life.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? 

Too many to list … but the first that comes to mind (partly because I was listening to him this morning) is Sam Harris. I love his calm, thoughtful way of looking at the world. He can move between neuroscience, politics, human behaviour, mindfulness and the messiness of modern life. I like people who ask good questions and make you think differently.

He also manages to annoy just about everyone at some point because he’s entirely his own person, unafraid to stand by his thinking, but still thoughtful and genuinely open to hearing others.

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing? 

Out on the water sailing, deep in the wonderfully random world of podcasts or hands in the garden growing things. I love tending to their intricate magnificence! Very soon, you’ll find me with a doggo in tow. Something I’m unreasonably excited about.