Enterprise Partnerships WA: Kimberley First Nations Women Entrepreneurs

About the learning community

Structured online sessions enabled dynamic exchanges where expertise was shared, amplifying diverse perspectives and strengthening leadership in entrepreneurship across the Kimberley. By bringing together women from Piriwa Hub, Tramulla Strong Women’s Group, Maganda Makers and Wyndham Arts Collective, this space allowed participants to connect, collaborate, tackle challenges and celebrate achievements.

Participants shared their wisdom, offer mentoring and provided education to the broader sector on the type of support needed to activate, grow and support First Nations women in the Kimberley, supporting social change through enterprise.

This learning community explored:

• Effective models of shared services, start-up, capacity-building and scale-up support for First Nations women-led enterprises in regional and remote locations;
• Connecting Indigenous women’s business networks with each other and with the wider social enterprise sector;
• Work Integration Social Enterprises in rural and remote locations;
• On-Country and online meetings of First Nations women building Indigenous businesses, connecting for solidarity, wellbeing, overcoming isolation and lateral violence, sharing learnings;
• Promoting Indigenous entrepreneurship around bush foods, wellbeing and mental health;
• Indigenous women in regional and remote businesses leading, mentoring, learning and exchanging knowledge and support.

About the convenor

Enterprise Partnerships WA (EPWA) exists to enable remote First Nations women to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for social change and to strengthen wellbeing in their families and communities. They partner with Aboriginal women in the Kimberley to create sustainable pathways to economic dignity and self-determination. Their focus is on place-based, community-led enterprises that are culturally grounded and support Aboriginal women to overcome systemic barriers such as isolation, lack of access to capital, and culturally inappropriate business services.

As a social enterprise, EPWA delivers fee-for-service backbone and ecosystem support, including partnership brokerage, program design, convening, evaluation input and strategic advisory services. They provide direct support to First Nations entrepreneurs through culturally safe mentoring and enterprise workshops and build values-aligned partnerships that open access to resources, networks and capital so women can lead change and foster wellbeing on their own terms.

How did this learning community work?

• Jarndu Gurra: First Nations Women in the Bush Food and Botanical Industry – online event held on the 7th December 2025.
• Work-integrated social enterprise for First Nations entrepreneurs – online event held in March 2026.
• Lateral violence vs lateral love in business – face-to-face event held in June 2026 in the Kalumburu community.

How to learn more

To learn more about this learning community contact Enterprise Partnerships WA (EPWA).