A Transformational Leadership Journey

How do we empower executives to lead in alignment with Te Ao Māori for a flourishing Aotearoa?

Overview and Purpose 

Te Ara Kahurangi offers a transformative executive leadership experience grounded in Te Ao Māori.  It adopts Te Ao Māori as an indigenous lens to empower executives to reimagine the kind of leaders they want to be, and the kind of organisations they want to create.  

Purpose 

This is a pivotal time in human history. To help leaders respond to the risks and possibilities of this period, Te Ara Kahurangi offers a transformative executive leadership experience that draws on the wisdom of Te Ao Māori to take participants on a journey to reimagine the kind of leaders they want to be, and the kind of organisations and futures they want to help create.  

We are living through a period of profound disruption that is having an unprecedented impact on our personal and organisational lives. At the executive level, these impacts are evidenced in chronic life-work imbalances and rising levels of stress, burnout and cynicism. In the midst of this complexity and turmoil, there are seeds of future possibility that can transform our lives, organisations and communities. The purpose of Te Ara Kahurangi is to support leaders in building awareness of those possibilities and actualising them in their lives and organisations. Te Ara Kahurangi equips leaders with the insight and confidence to practice culturally grounded leadership that addresses the diverse and complex challenges they face in their personal lives, organisations and communities. 

The centrepiece of Te Ara Kahurangi is a transformative, five-day residential intensive, hosted in two iconic venues in Queenstown: Rod Drury’s new Queenstown facility, “Taramea”; the executive Whare meeting house; and Millbrook Resort. It will combine leadership frameworks and experiential learning, allowing participants to develop as leaders within a kaupapa Māori framework. This leads to a nine-month supported personal journey, culminating in a celebratory showcase.  Te Ara Kahurangi offers leaders a rare opportunity to step away from their day-to-day life and work and embark on a reflective journey that reconnects them with their core purpose as human beings and as leaders. 

“Te Ara Kahurangi is more than a leadership course—it is a transformative journey designed to equip leaders with cultural depth, strategic awareness, and deep personal insight and alignment. It is designed to foster a new generation of executives committed to responding to the challenges of our time with authenticity, equity, and impact for a flourishing world.”

Key focus areas

This initiative responds to a growing need for senior executives to:

• Engage in a transformational personal leadership journey to align their passion and purpose with impact.
• Experience a process grounded in Te Ao Māori values that allows them to reconnect with themselves and others.
• Deepen their understanding of the wisdom of indigenous frameworks and their relevance to the ‘permacrisis’ of our time.
• Develop strategic thinking and a deeper connection to whenua (land) and whakapapa (ancestry).
• Consider how to develop respectful and strategic relationships with iwi.  

Target Audience

The programme is designed for senior leaders across all sectors who “give a damn about what’s happening nationally and globally” and wish to reimagine and revitalize their leadership practice by drawing on the wisdom of an indigenous lens. This includes:

• Business executives
• Senior public sector and local government leaders
• Industry and sector leaders
• Education and Community leaders (ie school principals, NGO Managers, etc)
• etc

Partners and Sponsors

Te Ara Kahurangi is a partnership between Leadership Lab, Tāke Tuia and Mana Tahuna. Together, these three organisations provide an immense range of leadership experience to this initiative.

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, government and business sectors, focusing on connecting and nurturing collaborative leaders. Leadership Lab comprises a collective of experienced 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.

Tāke Tuia is a cultural competency training and consultancy focusing on Māori narratives and Māori engagement and guidance.

Mana Tahuna are a kaupapa Māori Charitable Trust committed to and leading positive systemic change for the community and the Taiao.

Key partners committed to the programme’s success include: 

• Murihiku Regeneration Hokonui Rūnanga established Murihiku Regeneration to work closely and collaboratively with the Crown, giving voice and meaning to local Treaty obligations to Ngāi Tahu, and ensuring a clear, coherent plan for a prosperous and more sustainable Murihiku/Southland. https://www.murihikuregen.org.nz/

• Patron and venue sponsor: Rod Drury 
• Partners and sponsors to provide scholarships: (to be confirmed)

These partnerships ensure the programme will be deeply rooted in local communities and connected to national and international leadership networks

Programme Structure – The Korekoreka Journey

Te Ara Kahurangi consists of a five-day residential intensive as part of a nine-month supported personal journey, finishing with a celebration showcase.  It is based on the Te Korekoreka Framework, a Ngai Tahu kawa for Future making, which “can help you examine your present, to learn from your past, imagine a new future, and commit to a deliberate course of action that will enable you to shift from your current reality to a better one”.  Inspired by Te Korekoreka, the programme takes leaders on a journey of reconnection with their deepest purpose and possibilities as human beings and as leaders. It then helps them draw on that purpose as a vitalising force in their organisations and communities. 

Day One: Te Ao Tūroa (Current State Review)

The journey begins with a pōwhiri and whakawhanaungatanga, setting the foundation for an immersive leadership experience. Participants undertake a strategic review of the global context (environmental and political permacrisis) and reflect on their current leadership state, identifying challenges and opportunities. This day shifts leaders out of autopilot thinking, encouraging them to engage consciously with their leadership practice.

Day Two: Te Kore (Reflection and Insight)

Participants cross the threshold into Te Kore, the space of deep reflection and insight. This phase challenges conventional leadership thinking, guiding leaders to explore their inner voice, values, and purpose. Through karakia, storytelling, and mindfulness, participants embrace uncertainty as a path to growth, setting the stage for transformational change.

Day Three: Te Pō (Imagining and Innovation)

Building on insights from Te Kore, this day connects leaders with generative invitations that unlock their highest future potential and that of their organisations. In Te Pō, participants draw on these insights to imagine a new vision and prototype new approaches. This day nurtures innovation and creative leadership thinking, allowing participants to develop a personal leadership vision and prototype new approaches. 

Day Four: Te Ao Mārama (Action and Implementation)

This final day focuses on bringing leadership vision to life. Leaders refine their action plans, develop implementation strategies, and identify support mechanisms to ensure effective execution. The final session reaffirms their commitment to leading with impact and closes with a powerful group reflection.

Venue and Dates

Te Ara Kahurangi begins with a five-day retreat in Queenstown based at Millbrook Resort and also experiences Rod Drury’s new Queenstown facility, “Taramea”, the meeting house, which ensures a serene and inspiring environment that enhances the programme’s reflective and immersive nature. The natural beauty of Queenstown Lakes provides a powerful backdrop for reconnecting with self, purpose, and the principles of Te Ao Māori.

The leadership journey starts in August 2026 and finishes in May 2027 

• August – Virtual welcome experience
• September 2026 TBC– Queenstown Retreat – Rod Drury’s Executive Whare meeting house and Millbrook Resort (4 nights)
• November, Jan, March, April  – Virtual peer group meetings (4 x 90 mins)
• Oct, December, Feb– Coaching (3 x 90 min sessions)
• May 2027 TBC – Celebration showcase experience – 1-day workshop in Queenstown

Facilitators

• Darren Rewi
• Dr Peter Cammock
• Dr Chris Jansen
• TBC

This team brings collectively over 100 years of leadership experience, facilitation expertise and academic rigour to this programme. Our identities as Tangata whenua (Māori) and Tangata Tiriti (Pakeha) weave together to provide diverse perspectives and seasoned life experiences that ground this work in our own personal leadership journeys.

Cost

The following costs cover facilitation, venue and catering. Participants will arrange their own flights and transit costs to and from Queenstown, as well as their own dinners each evening.

• $TBC+GST/person

Note:

• Retreat accommodation will be at Millbrook Resort for 4 nights (September TBC).
• The Celebration Showcase event will also be in Queenstown (May TBC)
• We will provide breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Dinners will be held at various local restaurants (own cost)

Application process

If you are interested in being a part of the “Te Ara Kahurangi 2026” or learning more about what is involved, please fill out this expression of interest TO ADD

We will then provide follow-up information that will allow you to complete any necessary approvals to participate in the programme.

Any queries, please email Chris Jansen on chris@leadershiplab.co.nz or Darren Rewi darren@taketuia.com