I Am Rotorua – Merenia

I Am Rotorua

“I have always been creative and have had quite a few endeavours that I’ve pursued in my life but I never knew I was good at cake art. I have five kids and it’s expensive to buy cakes for five kids so I gave it a go and I was really good at it. From there, whānau started asking and it was a domino effect. I was home based and for nine months I just worked really hard and gained a really great portfolio and a lot of customers. I was closed for 12 months when I had my fifth child and then I thought, if I am going to come back, I am going to go hard or I am going home. That was my mindset at the time.

“I do this for my kids and for our people, it is not something you can really find here in Rotorua. I also want options for my kids, if they want a 9 to 5 then kei te pai, but if they see their mum hustling and doing more, awesome, it is exposing them to different options. I didn’t see options like this growing up so for my kids to see these is great.

“I have a whole heap of projects running, and this was something that just took off and I have also been able to open up the door for other women to nurture their passions. The shortfall I feel in our system, especially for mums, is that there’s not a job that, one, nurtures their passions, two, gives them a safe space to just leave their life behind and just come in and be surrounded by supportive women and, three, [it can be done] between school hours. I had never dreamed of being a boss, but I always knew if I ever had that opportunity I would do everything my [previous] bosses didn’t, I would just try to change the game in the business industry, it doesn’t have to be the way it is. It is only the way it is because we make it that way. Little steps here in my little corner in Rotorua.”

~Merenia, Fanciful Cakes