Ōtepoti-based Digital Marketer Wins Whakaata Māori 2022 Matariki Waitā Award For Business And Innovation

Kale Panoho (Ngāpuhi), co-founder of renowned growth firm K&J Growth, was awarded the Waitā Award for Business and Innovation at the Whakaata Māori 2022 Matariki Awards in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington this evening.

An international leader in marketing innovation, K&J Growth is the result of a partnership between Kale, who is based in Ōtepoti and his Los Angeles based co-founder, Jonathan Maxim.

“I never anticipated K&J Growth would become what it has, especially after only five years,” Kale says.

Last year, K&J Growth was ranked 28th on Inc.'s list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in California.

“At the centre of our success, we’ve got a team who live and breathe digital growth,” Kale says. “70% of our team have a side hustle where they’re implementing everything we do at K&J Growth on their own businesses. As a result, our success comes from always testing everything we do in the market, in real time.”

With a growing team of 25, K&J Growth is the force behind some of the biggest user acquisition campaigns for international brands such as TikTok, Microsoft, Comcast, as well as government agencies, start ups and other growth minded companies across the world.

Throughout 2021, Kale and his team were integral to the successful rollout of the New Zealand Government’s free digital enablement training scheme, Digital Boost. The scheme has now helped more than 47,000 Kiwi business owners use digital tools to their advantage.

“I believe business is a tool to give back to your community,” Kale says. “After incredible growth overseas, I’m proud we’ve been able to support thousands of Kiwi small business owners to kick-start their own digital journey.”

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