Our story

Our origins…

Leadership Lab emerged in Ōtautahi / Christchurch during the  devastating earthquakes of 2011. This was a hugely provoking time for us all with both the tragic loss of life and city-wide infrastructure damage, and simultaneously a city-wide collective willingness (and desperate need) to work together in new and fresh ways…

A small group of us who were community members and also experienced leaders and consultants were compelled by the opportunity to contribute to the rebuild of our own city.  However, in order to engage with the city-wide government level interventions need we realised we needed to collectivise so that we could be taken seriously by the Government agencies and participate in this city rebuild.

Hence Leadership Lab was born – a leadership consulting company based on the collaboration of passionate and diverse consultants all focussed on growing equitable and thriving communities and organisations in Aotearoa.  We are a collective – we have no employees, however, we have grown over the last 10+ years to a network of over 50 individuals who each have their own businesses  – we choose to collaborate in a range of projects together.

Pou Herenga – our guiding beliefs and values

Over the last 10 years, we have spent regular intentional time in wānanga (extended dialogue) and explored our collective identities, our values, our approaches and our vision.  We are guided by our “Pou Herenga” –  the post that we are lashed to individually and collectively. As a group of people working in multiple spaces, with diverse identities, upbringings and experiences, we can all confidently traverse these spaces knowing that we can at any time refer back to our Pou Herenga, our shared beliefs

Whakapapa – Who we are

We are intentionally creating space to develop our collective identity which mirrors the equitable communities we seek to develop. We acknowledge each individual’s stories, pepeha, whakapapa and as Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti we are actively exploring the synergies we have as Te Tiriti partners. We also stand with leaders who identify with groups that experience discrimination and marginalization because of their identity (ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual identity, age, class etc).

Whanonga Pono – Our values

We are guided by our values of mana ōrite, kotahitanga and manaakitanga. These values inform every project we engage in and are reflected in how we work and our commitment to Showing up Differently.

• mana ōrite – fighting for equitable access and outcomes
  • We actively support rangatiratanga and self-determination for Tangata whenua
  • We amplify marginalised voices for advocacy to provoke system change 
  • We respect and value the unique identity of each person and community in Aotearoa.
  • We focus on empowering ‘invisible’ leaders and intentionally ‘flip’ power dynamics to weave the rangatiratanga of all.
• kotahitanga – finding courage through standing together back to back
  • We stand together and are not isolated as we work in complexity
  • Through working together we discover solutions that build on everyone’s strengths
  • In collaboration with communities and agencies we grow collective impact around shared aspirations
• manaakitanga – unconditional care for each other and our partners
  • Through whanaungatanga we nurture the hauora and mana of ourselves and others in tangible ways
  • We prioritise connections between people across a system: Ko wai au?, Ko wai koe?, Ko wai tatou?
  • We host spaces for belonging, meaning and transformation and are committed to the time and intentional focus this requires

Tikanga – the practice of our values

Our practice is informed by a wide range of frameworks which include; 

• powhiri process principles engagement through tikanga
  • We endeavour to incorporate the tikanga of powhiri into all our mahi
  • Powhiri is a process designed to weave (whiriwhiri) two groups of people together and is a traditional practice that acknowledges the  tangible and intangible.
  • The powhiri model creates space for engagement and relationship through principles that are guided by tikanga.
  • This allows us to navigate the journey from tapu to noa, unknown to known, restricted to unrestricted. It holds spaces for reflection, stories, whakapapa, celebration, debate, mourning and learning.

• Showing up differently
  • Although all our projects are unique to the context and issue they are addressing – a common approach underpins each of them – ‘Showing up differently’
  • Through this process we work alongside communities and organisations to identify issues, engage with others, co-design possible ideas, then test and fine-tune to develop unique solutions

Whāinga – our intent and vision

As an Aotearoa New Zealand based organisation we are committed to giving effect to the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi which describes the relationship envisaged by the Rangatira of the hapū with the British Crown.

We believe that the frameworks, assumptions and beliefs that have largely dominated in Aotearoa in the last 180+ years need to be challenged, deconstructed and then reimagined in the light of mātauranga māori; a process of both decolonization and re indigenization.

Consequently we are a Tiriti o Waitangi-led, impact focussed leadership consultancy.

We grow leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand who develop equitable and flourishing

communities and organisations. 

We believe that collective approaches provide the key to addressing the complex challenges we face and we enable this through co-designing collective impact projects with communities and agencies. We work alongside agencies (local and central government), organisations (businesses and NGO’s) and sectors (education, health, emergency and social services etc).

Certified B-Corp (work to do)

We’ve just received confirmation of our Bcorp certification, which is only afforded to businesses who meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.  Leadership Lab is a for-purpose company and we’re stoked to share that our impact driven collective of amazing humans is now a certified B Corporation!

As a B Corp, Leadership Lab is counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. This means that we believe in and have committed to:

• Being the change we seek in the world.
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place matter.
• Through our services, practices, and being with one another, our work should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
• Scaling our impact by joining forces with a global network of businesses working as a force for good in the world.

To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon one another and thus responsible for each other and future generations. Read on to learn more about why we’ve taken steps to become certified, our journey to this point, and what this means for our people, our clients and the future we dare to help create.

What is B Corp?

B Corps are a global network of businesses founded on the premise of a shared hope for a better way to do business: better for workers, better for communities, and better for the planet.

To join this fast-growing movement, businesses must undergo a certification process, which includes regular re-certification to ensure their commitment to continuous improvement in three key areas: Human Flourishing; Sustainability, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (JEDIB).

B Corp seeks to disrupt the way of thinking in for-profit spheres where stakeholder value trumps all, even at the risk of negatively impacting others and the planet. B Corp starts from the assumption that businesses can and should commit to balancing profits AND purpose for the benefit of all people, communities and the planet.

So, in essence, B Corp is a standard for environmental, governance, and social responsibility that is granted to for-profit companies that submit a thorough report on several dimensions and provide evidence for their sustainability and responsibility credentials. You can learn more about the movement here.

Why B Corp?

What changes?

What did we learn along the way? 

Join us on the journey