About Whakawhitinga
Whakawhitinga is a consulting partnership anchored in Māori values, designed to improve outcomes for whānau and communities by championing diverse and inclusive leadership across Aotearoa.
As a partnership, we see our role as supporting and uplifting internal capabilities so that our clients create the habits and practices to sustain important mahi long after we have finished our work together. We are highly skilled at building engagement and alignment that enables organisations to execute their strategic intent and achieve their goals.
Whakawhitinga holds the sense of a journey—a transition or crossing to a new way of knowing. Through partnership and accountability, people and connections, and a focus on future-fit progression, we see our work as an experience that will serve the people and place in which we collectively operate.
The logo shows the poutama pattern, known as the stairway to heaven in Māori weaving. Poutama has strong educational and spiritual significance. The stepping pattern represents progression and ascent to higher levels of achievement and progress, as well as the constant pursuit of improvement.
Together, these tell the story of who we are and what we aspire to achieve.
Our Values
Partnership and Accountability
This means we:
Get to know your organisation and your people deeply, and see ourselves as a temporal extension of your team
Develop trusted and enduring relationships
Bring our authentic selves and our human journey to all interactions
Foster connections and seek our diverse perspectives to test our thinking
Are committed to delivering quality outcomes and we hold ourselves accountable to our promises.
People and Connections
This means we:
Put people before position or process
Choose work and partnership opportunities where we genuinely love our mahi and can clearly see the connection to people and place
Care for each other and show manaaki, celebrating the moments that matter
Actively manage our energy and pace to be at our best and bring our best selves to our work
Lead with vulnerability and empathy, asking for and offering help.
Future-Fit Progression
This means we:
Will choose long-term, sustainable benefits over short-term wins
Test, refine, and progress (on repeat)
Adapt to changing markets and what’s required for future-proofing our initiatives
Stay across leading market research in our areas of expertise to bring the latest thinking to our work
Will advocate and challenge you to further your goals and stretch your thinking.
Get in touch
Often it’s easier to talk through your project or opportunity directly. Please feel free to get in touch. We’d love the opportunity to explore your current project and look forward to hearing from you.