Building futures: Zeducation's commitment to unlocking potential

Building futures: Zeducation's commitment to unlocking potential

Ask Pasi Haufano where Zeducation began, and he won't tell you about business plans or balance sheets. He'll tell you about his parents.

 Growing up in a Sāmoan and Tongan household, education was always a big part of Pasi's upbringing.

"They always talked about education because it would lead to a better future, a better job, and that you'd be able to provide for your future family," Pasi says. "Looking back, I always thought it was interesting because they were talking to us as little kids about our future children. But that's the Pasifika and Māori way. We think generational."

In 2019, Pasi and his wife, Sandra, founded Zeducation, bringing together their shared passion for education and the values they grew up with. Today, the Māori and Pasifika-owned business partners with organisations across Aotearoa to deliver leadership development, workplace learning, financial capability and employment programmes.

Sandra and Pasi Haufano - Zeducation founders

Sandra and Pasi Haufano - Zeducation founders

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For someone who now champions education every day, Pasi's own journey wasn't necessarily linear. "Education was hard for me growing up. English was my second language at home. I failed my bachelor's degree. What should have taken me three years took almost five because I struggled." It wasn't until serving a church mission in Texas that his perspective shifted. "That's when my perspective for education really changed because I was basically helping people change and improve their lives from what we were teaching. It was spiritual from the gospel, but it was still education and teaching."

For Sandra, learning began at home. Although neither of her parents graduated from high school, they had a strong desire for learning and created an environment where education was part of everyday life.

Those early experiences shaped Sandra's belief that learning is a lifelong journey, not something confined to a classroom. "At the end of the day for me, it's always been about learning and learning is a never-ending journey. And it doesn't have to be in a class, and it doesn't have to be the traditional way that we see learning currently." She believes that learning creates possibility, giving people the knowledge and confidence to make better decisions and realise what they’re capable of.

Where Culture Shapes the Work

For Pasi and Sandra, their cultural backgrounds are an important part of how they approach education and business. Sandra whakapapas to Tainui, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, while Pasi's mother is from Tafitoala and Leʻauvaʻa in Upolu, Sāmoa, and his father from Niuafoʻou in Tonga. "The magic and the engine are the same. Education and our Pacific and Māori values are the essence of everything we do."

For Pasi, that starts with the people behind the work. "I get to know the person before I get to know the work they want us to do. I want to know about their family, what matters to them." Many of Zeducation's clients aren't Māori or Pasifika organisations, but Pasi doesn't see their values as something that needs to replace other ways of working.

"I don't force my Pasifika values on people," he says. "But they always say they can feel it." He is careful not to position Māori and Pasifika values as better, but as something that can enrich the way people work together. "I don't like that saying where people say what's good for Pasifika is good for everyone; it comes across as we're better. What I like to see it as is Māori and Pasifika values can help enhance, make things richer, rather than our way is better than your way."

That same approach extends to their team. Pasi credits Sandra with bringing thoughtfulness into the everyday details, from remembering birthdays to recognising the people around them. "It's the little extra stuff that makes them feel special, makes them want to keep the relationship. And that's what's honestly helped me in sales, make my job easier, is those little things like that. Even for our team as well." Creating space for their team to challenge them is equally important. "Pasi, I don't know about that, or Pasi, I disagree with that, or Pasi, you want to challenge that. We want that because that feedback helps us to improve."

Growing with Purpose

Zeducation experienced its first major growth pains early on, when some big contracts came through before the business had the systems and structures to support them. "We weren't actually ready for that," Sandra says. "And so one of the things that kills new businesses is growth. And if you don't manage that growth well enough, then it can actually be to the death of you."

The rapid growth meant moving quickly from having few formal systems to needing policies, contracts, compliance processes and a strong financial foundation. "We had to really invest in building the foundation correctly and in a way that would allow us to be sustainable." The lessons weren't only about systems.

For Sandra, one of the biggest challenges was recognising the value they brought to the table. "We didn't recognise how good we were. And I think now over the past four to seven years, we've recognised the value that we bring to an organisation, but also to the wider community." She says learning to recognise that value has also changed the way they engage with people and price their work.

"For Māori and Pasifika, we don't want to not include anyone, but sometimes that's to our own detriment as well." For Pasi, the challenges have reinforced the importance of knowing when to give and when to set boundaries. "Sometimes they're the things that teach you what school can't teach you or a master's degree can't give you."

Those lessons now shape the way they support other Māori and Pasifika business owners. "There are always Māori and Pasifika business owners reaching out to me," Pasi says. "It's like, Pasi, I want to start a business with you. I'll always make time for them."

For the Generations Ahead

For Pasi and Sandra, Zeducation's future lies in what they can create for the people and communities they work with. "Our mission, if you were to put it as a statement on the wall, would be to unleash the potential in others so they can lead the next generation to greatness." That mindset is already reflected in the work they do. One Ministry of Social Development contract helped Pacific people into employment, with 108 people supported into jobs over two years.

For Pasi, the impact goes beyond the individual. "I'm the water boy. I do everything else so that my team can focus on what they do best, changing lives."

Looking further ahead, Zeducation hopes to become a Māori and Pasifika-owned Private Training Establishment, creating another pathway for people to gain qualifications while continuing to embed Māori and Pasifika values into education. "We're always looking 100, 200 years ahead in our business, in terms of impact. We're out there helping people to become better leaders so they can impact the next generation in a positive way."

That generational thinking also shapes how they navigate the harder parts of running a business.

For Sandra, being willing to be vulnerable has also opened the door to support. "I think what I've found is when you put yourself in a more vulnerable position, then people are more willing to help you. And so we've had so much help."

That spirit of connection extends to their relationship with Amotai. Pasi says the network has helped Zeducation connect with other Māori and Pasifika businesses, including through its database and leadership programmes. "People say, 'Oh, Amotai, it's only contracts.' But it's really also partnering with each other, like-minded people and building business together."

For Pasi and Sandra, that is the kind of growth they want to see: businesses supporting one another, sharing knowledge and creating opportunities that extend beyond their own walls. And perhaps that's what brings the story back to where it began, with the lessons Pasi and Sandra inherited from their own parents.

Their belief in education has always been generational. What they learn, they pass on. What they build, they want to create opportunities for others to build on too. As Pasi puts it:

"Everyone has greatness. We just help people build on that."