Leadership Lab

01/05/2026

Te Ara Kahurangi 2026 - expressions of interest are now open.

How might we empower leaders to create flourishing futures in a way that is uniquely 'Aotearoa' grounded in Te Ao Māori and Western approaches?

Te Ara Kahurangi is a transformational leadership journey based in Tāhuna Queenstown. It's designed for senior leaders across all sectors who feel "morally compelled about what's happening nationally and globally" and want to reimagine, recatalyse and revitalise their leadership practice - drawing on the wisdom of Māori, Pākehā and global frameworks.

A partnership between Leadership Lab and tuia, the journey is built around the four realms of Te Korekoreka - a Ngāi Tahu kawa for future-making, drawn from mātauranga Ngāi Tahu and created by Tokona te Raki.

Here's what's involved:
🌿 A 5-day residential retreat at Millbrook Resort and Taramea (21–25 September 2026)

🌿 9 months of supported personal journey - peer groups + 1:1 coaching

🌿 A celebratory showcase event in May 2027

Open to: iwi leaders, business executives, senior public sector and local government leaders, education leaders, and other senior leaders ready to step outside the everyday and reconnect with deeper purpose.

Read more and submit your EOI: https://leadershiplab.co.nz/projects/te-ara-kahurangi-2026/

Apply here: https://forms.gle/Riwbb4H7uZAVhm9H8

Any questions, get in touch with Chris Jansen at [email protected] or Darren Rewi at [email protected]

09/12/2025

03/12/2025

Last week, 60 leaders, changemakers and curious souls gathered for the Leaders for Equity Unconference.

While we have yet to fully debrief and process the day, we have heard from those attended how valuable they found it.

Some of what we heard at the end of the day:
"This is the kind of space I want this city/motu to have more of! Especially looking around this room, the diversity of people who show up embody the variety, values, and vision (VVV!) for the future we wish to build in collaboration."
"I learnt so much from others in the room who come from a different background and perspective. It is important for me to ease myself out of my echo chamber. It has encouraged me to push a little bit further."

I will...
"Design and Incorporate practices that help include people and meet the needs of those who have invisible disabilities."
"Identify the missing voices and invite them to participate."

We look forward to continuing the journey of building this network, this movement, together in 2026 and if you've not yet joined us, there will be more opportunities to do so next year. Keep an eye on our social media and the Pānui for updates.

Thank you to our partners, Christchurch City Council, for their support and collaboration in this project, especially Rose, Viviana and Danielle.

Thank you to our team whose presence on the day was critical to success - Chris, Sooze, Steve, Robbie and Fera.

More info about Leaders for Equity Network here:
https://leadershiplab.co.nz/projects/leaders-for-equity-network/

Photo credit: Peanut Productions

03/12/2025

**Puāwai Showcase 2025**

Nau mai, haere mai - join us for an inspiring evening as our Puāwai rangatahi share the culmination of their leadership journey.

Experience:
• Spoken word performances
• Photography and art displays
• Rangatahi-led podcasts sharing real stories and perspectives
• A window into the worlds of our rangatahi

Over the past few months, these young people have taken part in a strengths-based youth and leadership development programme. This showcase is their opportunity to share their mahi with whānau, friends, and our wider community.

This is a free, youth-led event - all are welcome!
Date: Wednesday 10 December
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: TSB Space, Tūranga Library

What is Puāwai?
Puāwai is a youth development programme that empowers emerging leaders to embrace their identity, strengths, culture, and creativity. The Showcase is their Activator project - a chance to bring their gifts to life, share a window to their world or showcase things they're passionate about.

Facebook event here:
www.facebook.com/events/1190665279691735

17/11/2025

Registrations for the Leaders for Equity Network Unconference will close on Friday, 21st November.

Topics are currently being voted on and we already have almost 60 registrations, which we're incredibly excited about.

While some of discussions may be on the more serious side, we will also have a quiet space for those that want to take a break and there will also ensure that we have some fun and have some smiles and laughter :)

Hosted by Leadership Lab in partnership with Christchurch City Council, this unconference is grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That means centring Te Ao Māori values, tikanga, and kawa in how we hold the day, and making sure the conversations we have reflect our shared responsibility for equity in Aotearoa.

Through connection, shared learning, and bold conversations, this day will spark insight, build momentum, and deepen the relationships that power systemic change.

Some of the topics put forward are:

🌟 Te Tiriti, Te Ao Māori & Decolonising Practice

🌟 Equity Leadership, Inner Work & Collective Practice

🌟 Systems Change, Frameworks & Mental Models

🌟 Civic Participation, Politics & Power

🌟 Youth, Education & Participation

🌟 Health, Disability & Access

🌟 Economics, Resourcing & Redistribution

🌟 Intersectionality, Belonging & Relational Work

🌟 3x Case studies: What’s already working?

Registrations via this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/leaders-for-equity-network-unconference-otautahi-christchurch

The smiles and laughter in this picture were captured by at our first Leaders for Equity Network hui earlier this year.

17/11/2025

Throughout our Incubator programme, Pete Cammock reminds us to connect to our inner voice, our inner wisdom and the programme looks to create spaces and build capacity in our team to do that for themselves when they go back to the busy-ness of their lives.

As a leader in your work, your family, your personal life, of yourself....how do you connect to your inner voice? And if you were to listen, what would you hear?

LinC Leadership Incubator is an engaging 9-month personal development journey, which supports leaders to grow equitable and thriving communities, and to take the time to reflect deeply on their own personal leadership.

More about the Incubator programme here:
https://leadershiplab.co.nz/projects/leadership-incubator/

Acknowledging the Incubator facilitation team:
Pete Cammock, Steve Jones-Poole, .n.my.boyz and Bec Roper-Gee

Credit:

12/11/2025

This is what conversations at Unconferences look like.....people grabbing a chair to sit together and discuss a topic that they have chosen.

The Leaders for Equity Unconference (in partnership with Christchurch City Council) is almost here and we’re so energised by the ideas already submitted! Topic submissions are now closed, but there’s still time to join us and help shape the final programme.

Even if you didn’t submit a topic, you still get to vote on the conversations you most want to see. We now have 28 amazing topics to choose from and the themes include:

🌟 Te Tiriti, Te Ao Māori & Decolonising Practice

🌟 Equity Leadership, Inner Work & Collective Practice

🌟 Systems Change, Frameworks & Mental Models

🌟 Civic Participation, Politics & Power

🌟 Youth, Education & Participation

🌟 Health, Disability & Access

🌟 Economics, Resourcing & Redistribution

🌟 Intersectionality, Belonging & Relational Work

🌟 3x Case studies: What’s already working?

If you care about equity in practice - in communities, systems, workplaces - this is a space to connect, be challenged, and take action alongside others who are leading this mahi across Aotearoa.

WHEN: Friday 28 November, 9:15am - 2:45pm
WHERE: Multicultural Centre, Ōtautahi Christchurch
Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/leaders-for-equity-network-unconference-otautahi-christchurch

12/11/2025

“How do we lead schools that grow tomorrow’s leaders?”

Aotearoa needs courageous, future-focused leaders. Leaders who can navigate complexity, honour te Tiriti o Waitangi, and lead in ways that reflect who we are as Aotearoa.

This week we are extremely excited to launch a new initiative we have been working of for the last six months. Hāpaitia te Manukura is a dynamic 10-month leadership development journey for pairs of senior leaders in Aotearoa primary, intermediate, secondary and area schools.

Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme is a partnership between Riki Consultancy and Leadership Lab NZ. Together, our two organisations bring an immense depth of educational leadership expertise and kaupapa Māori insight to this initiative. The facilitators are Janelle Riki-Waaka, Nathan Mahikai Riki, Greg Jansen, Linda Tame and Chris Jansen

Each cohort of Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme is limited to 40 Manukura (leaders). Keeping group numbers small ensures every participant receives personalised, high-quality guidance and support from our expert facilitators throughout the journey.

Why don't you consider joining us on this journey in 2026 - especially right now in Aotearoa where many of the things we believe and have been committed to for years are under critique... this is a time for kotahitanga, standing together!

More info:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cwzYLihd3qXK0HgM-Xliwbu8-RV14mba/view

https://leadershiplab.co.nz/projects/hapaitia-te-manukura-2026/

12/11/2025

When budgets tighten and focus narrows to “core business”, collaboration can be seen as a “nice-to-have”. For those of us who believe in collective impact, it can be hard to watch this retreat to individual silos. How do we sustain collaboration when the funding dries up?

Read this insightful piece from Stephen McConnachie in our most recent Pānui as he reflects on what their team learned about the conditions for collaboration through 10 years with the Grow Waitaha Kāhui Ako (Communities of Learning) model.

"Beyond the Budget: What Really Fuels Collaboration"

https://leadershiplab.co.nz/beyond-the-budget-what-really-fuels-collaboration/

What do you think creates the optimum conditions for collaboration?

28/10/2025

What’s an Unconference?

An Unconference is a participant-driven gathering — meaning the agenda and topics of discussion are created by the attendees, not the organisers. It’s designed to spark collaboration, interaction, and real connection.

Think of it as the laid-back cousin of a traditional conference — fewer formalities, more conversations that matter.

At our last Leaders for Equity Network, we collected topic ideas and voted on what to explore together. That’s exactly how this Unconference will work too (except we're collecting the topics and voting beforehand).

If you care about equity, systems change, and leading with courage and connection, this space is for you. If you’re committed to equity in leadership — across any sector — this is your place.

Together, we’ll shape the day (with topic voting before 28 November), dive into real challenges, and uncover insights to take back into our work and communities.

📅 Friday 28 November | 9:15am – 2:45pm

📍 Multicultural Recreation and Community Centre, Ōtautahi Christchurch

🔗 Register now: leadershiplab.co.nz/events/leaders-for-equity-network-unconference-2025-otautahi-christchurch

*Closing date for topic submissions: Friday, 31 October*

Come for the kōrero.
Stay for the connection.
Leave with new ideas, courage, and community.

24/10/2025

We're excited to partner with Christchurch City Council Community Development team for the upcoming Leaders for Equity Network Unconference.

Working with this team is enabling us to reach communities and groups that we might not otherwise be able to include and it also enables them come along and participate to contribute, to listen.

Great to be doing this mahi together Rose Crossland, Danielle and Viviana.

Registrations to attend the Unconference will close the week before the event, but if you would like to propose a topic for discussion, we need you to register by next Friday, 31st October as we will then using a voting system to have those registered select the topics in true unconference style.

More info and registration here:
https://leadershiplab.co.nz/events/leaders-for-equity-network-unconference-2025-otautahi-christchurch/