February to November 2026

“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. Hāpaitia te Manukura is a dynamic 10-month leadership development journey for pairs of senior leaders in Aotearoa primary, intermediate, secondary and area schools.

Whakatakinga / Introduction

Hāpaitia te Manukura is a ten-month leadership development journey designed to uplift and empower senior school leaders to lead as their authentic selves while shaping equitable futures for our tamariki mokopuna.

• Hāpaitia: to uplift, support, elevate, rise up
• Manukura: leader

This programme is designed to be your entire professional learning journey for 2026 – comprehensive, practical, and transformational. It’s designed for those who want to grow as Manukura while making tangible progress in their kura and community.

Hāpaitia te ara tika kia pūmau ai ngā rangatira ō āpōpō.

Uphold the right path so that the leaders of tomorrow may endure.

Hāpaitia te Manukura flyer

Tirohanga Whānui / Overview and Purpose 

Hāpaitia te Manukura is a ten-month leadership development programme that is a ‘Call to Action’. It’s not a programme that will be all ‘hui and no do-ey’! Participants will be supported to be solutions-focused, trying new things, stretching ourselves, putting things into action and making positive changes.

It’s designed to be ‘kai for rangatira’, to fill your wairua cup as a leader and create strong and purposeful connections with other leaders in other school communities. 

Hāpaitia te Manukura is grounded in a commitment to:

• upholding the aspirations of te Tiriti o Waitangi
• culturally empowering pedagogy
• relationships that move at the speed of trust
• mana ōrite and equity-led practice

Purpose

To grow culturally grounded, future-focused leaders who lead with clarity, confidence, and courage in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Participants will:

• Deepen cultural capability and confidence to honour te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Strengthen identity and wellbeing as authentic Aotearoa leaders
  
• Build collaborative cultures of trust, inclusion, and shared purpose
  
• Lead effective, sustainable change aligned to equity and mokopuna-led decisions
  
• Connect with a whānau of like-minded leaders committed to collective impact

Expected Outcomes

By the end of this programme, you will:

1. Confidently integrate te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in all aspects of leadership
   
2. Have a clear, values-driven leadership identity anchored in Te Ao Māori and Aotearoa contexts
   
3. Lead with increased cultural intelligence and emotional resilience
4. Implement collaborative, equity-focused practices that strengthen school culture
   
5. Apply new frameworks for navigating and leading change with confidence
   
6. Complete a professional growth cycle fully aligned to this journey – no extra projects, no added workload
   

This is not “one more thing,” it is the thing that shapes your growth and impact as a leader in 2026.

Distinct features

Our programme approach is uniquely Aotearoa in nature and includes:

• Tiriti-honouring by design: Every component gives effect to the articles of te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Grounded in Te Ao Māori: Noho marae and tikanga-based practice throughout
• Mahitahi learning: Learn in pairs – collective reflection, challenge, and support, creating an opportunity for sustained change
• Practical, not extra: Integrated into your existing role and leadership goals
• Expert facilitation: Co-led by Riki Consultancy and Leadership Lab, highly respected specialists in cultural capability and educational leadership
• Whole-year impact: 60+ hours of deep, high-quality PLD over ten months
• Aligned to the PGC: meeting the requirements for educational leaders’ Professional Growth Cycle and designed to integrate seamlessly into your current role, not as an extra project, but as a way to make meaningful progress on your existing challenges and future aspirations.

Leadership Pou

Hāpaitia te Manukura, Leadership Development Programme is grounded in three Leadership Pou that reflect what it means to lead with authenticity, unity, and purpose in Aotearoa:

1) Taonga Tuku Iho – Leading from your authentic self

Ambicultural leadership grounded in whakapapa and values.

Explore who you are as a leader, the legacy you inherit, and the impact you wish to make. Strengthen your understanding of identity and responsibility, and the power of leading with authenticity in a Tiriti-honouring nation. Uphold the enduring relationships between hapū and the Crown, while remaining responsive to the many peoples of Aotearoa.

2) Kotahitanga – Leading through collaboration for collective impact

Building the conditions for thriving kura and communities.

Strengthen your capability to establish and sustain effective relationships. Learn to create cultures of trust, shared purpose, and collective efficacy that lead to meaningful change in your kura and community.

3) Ao Anamata – Leading towards equitable futures

Navigating complexity and designing systems for lasting impact.

Develop future-focused, mokopuna-led leadership practices that nurture ngā rangatira o āpōpō. Strengthen your ability to navigate complexity, transform systems, and ensure decisions uplift equity and wellbeing for all. Learn to navigate current reforms and imposed change while designing sustainable systems for mokopuna-led futures.

Who is Hāpaitia te Manukura for?

Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme is for senior leaders in Aotearoa schools. We invite Principals, DPs and APs, in all educational contexts (primary, intermediate, secondary, and area schools), who are ready to grow their leadership for the future.

He Waka Haurua

To get the most out of this learning journey, we encourage you to enrol in pairs (he waka haurua). Having a trusted ally and critical friend alongside you will enrich your reflections, challenge your thinking, and strengthen your leadership growth.

Pairs from the same kura have a unique opportunity to create meaningful, collaborative change, translating new learning into collective action that makes a real difference for their ākonga and school community. Working together within your context often makes a lasting impact easier to achieve than going it alone.

Your learning partner could be another leader within your kura or someone from another kura with whom you already share a positive working relationship.

We recommend enrolling as a pair if possible; however, if you don’t currently have someone in mind, please still register your interest, and we will explore options to ensure you get the most from this journey.

How many spaces are available?

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.

This size also creates an intimate, connected learning whānau where kōrero is rich, feedback is meaningful, and everyone’s voice is valued. Leaders will have the option to opt into two parallel cohorts, one focused on primary and the other on secondary.  Intermediate and Area School leaders may opt into either stream.  

Due to this intentionally low number, spaces are expected to fill up quickly! We encourage you to register your interest early to secure your place in this unique leadership experience.  If you enrol once we are full your name will be added to the waitlist for the next cohort of the programme. 

Format

The Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme combines kanohi ki te kanohi wānanga, virtual wānanga, and self-directed online learning to create a rich and connected learning experience.

1) Kanohi ki te kanohi Wānanga (2 x 2 days and 1 x 1 day)

These noho marae are held across three locations: Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Poneke (Wellington). Within each wānanga, participants will come together as a full cohort, and at other times, will work in sector-based cohorts (see above) to explore challenges specific to their leadership contexts. The first two wānanga are overnight noho marae, the third wānanga is a day-long hui.

2) Virtual Wānanga

A series of 75-minute Zoom wānanga that will include: a 30-minute learning module with a guest expert speaker, followed by a 45-minute self-facilitated, professional learning group wānanga. Leaders will work in groups of three to connect, support, and challenge each other throughout the journey. Reflections will be guided by Tū Rangatira and the Educational Leadership Capability Framework and will be directly linked to their own Professional Growth Cycle.

3) Te Pou Herenga Waka – Online Learning Modules

Participants complete two self-directed Kōwae Ako (online courses):

• Online course 1: Te Waka Hītori, Aotearoa, NZ te Tiriti o Waitangi History: Understand and appreciate the partnership intent by which our country was founded, the important historical events that informed our identity as a country, and the past legislative processes engaged to settle Aotearoa.

• Online course 2: Te Waka Tiriti, Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (Honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi): Exploring the historical intent of te Tiriti o Waitangi – what it said and what Māori understood it to mean. Delve into each of the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and learn how we can honour and uphold this in our practice today.

Noho Marae:

Our programme is deeply committed to growing the cultural confidence and capability of all participants. To honour this, the two-day wānanga are noho marae. Immersion in tikanga Māori practices is a vital part of the learning journey, and the marae setting provides the ideal environment for connection and reflection.

We ask all participants to commit to the noho marae and stay together as a learning whānau. However, if this presents a barrier to your participation, please reach out to us for a kōrero; we’re happy to explore solutions together.

Ko wai ngā Kaihautū? (Who is leading?)

The Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme is a partnership between Riki Consultancy and Leadership Lab. Together, these two organisations bring an immense depth of educational leadership expertise and kaupapa Māori insight to this initiative.

Riki Consultancy is a proudly Māori-owned, whānau-led business founded by brother and sister duo, Janelle and Nathan. With over 18 years of experience, we are recognised leaders in cultural capability and Te Ao Māori advisory services. Our mahi is driven by a deep commitment to supporting leaders on their journey to becoming culturally confident and capable. Our approach is mana empowering, tiriti-honouring, and practical for busy kaimahi, building everyday confidence while ensuring everyone is culturally safe on the journey. Janelle Riki-Waaka and Nathan Mahikai Riki are co-facilitating this programme. 

Leadership Lab is a Tiriti o Waitangi-led, impact-focused leadership consultancy. Our vision is to support leaders in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in developing equitable and flourishing communities and organisations. This vision is realised through partnerships with organisations in the community, education, health, and social services sectors, focusing on connecting and nurturing collaborative leaders. Leadership Lab comprises a collective of experienced and passionate consultants from Whāngarei in the north to Tāhuna Queenstown in the south. Emphasising collective approaches, Leadership Lab co-designs impact projects that address complex challenges while giving effect to the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The values of mana ōrite, kotahitanga, and manaakitanga shape our approach to every project. Linda Tame, Greg Jansen and Chris Jansen are co-facilitating this programme. 

Dates and logistics

The leadership journey starts in February and finishes in November 2026.

• Welcome experience (online late January) 
• Face-to-face Wānanga#1 (February 24-25th, overnight noho marae) – Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae Society) (starting at 10am on first day and finishing at 4pm on second day)
• Virtual wānanga x 3 (March, April and May TBC, 4.00pm-5.15pm)
• Face-to-face Wānanga#2 (June 16-17th, overnight noho marae) – Ōtautahi Christchurch (Ngā Hau e Whā Marae) (starting at 10am on first day and finishing at 4pm on second day)
• Virtual wānanga x 4 (July, August, September, October)
• Face-to-face Wānanga#3 (November 10th, one day wānanga) –  Pōneke Wellington (Te Rau Karamu- Massey) (starting at 9am and finishing at 4pm)
• Te Pou Herenga Waka -ongoing throughout the 10 months

Cost

The following costs cover facilitation, venue and catering. Participants will need to arrange their own flights and transit costs.

• $3750+GST/person

Leaders will likely commit to this experience as their only professional learning in 2026.  Hāpaitia te Manukura offers a total of 5 days face-to-face contact plus 6 x 75-minute Virtual wānanga Zoom meetings. This equates to 60 hours of synchronous PLD plus another 30-40 hours of asynchronous self-directed learning.

Note:

• Leaders may choose to opt for two progress payments to split the cost over two years.
• Leaders will receive an invoice, and payment can be made by bank transfer or credit card.

Application process

If you are interested in being a part of the “Hāpaitia te Manukura Leadership Development Programme” or learning more about what is involved, please fill out this Expression of Interest

We will then provide follow-up information that will allow you to seek any school approvals required in order to participate.

Any queries please email Chris Jansen on chris@leadershiplab.co.nz or Janelle Riki-Waaka janelle@rikiconsultancy.co.nz