As Waitangi Day approaches, this whakataukī reminds us of the commitments made 146 years ago, and our country’s ongoing work to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.   

For many leaders, that work means navigating organisations and systems that are still learning what genuine partnership looks like. It includes bringing cultural knowledge and Treaty understanding into spaces that haven't always made room for either. It means the daily building and rebuilding of relationships across difference while holding to the requirements of Te Tiriti.

We place leaders in contexts where Te Tiriti partnership isn't abstract; it is practical. This includes Boards actively partnering with iwi, executives navigating local government reform alongside mana whenua, and leaders in organisations where Treaty principles shape (or aspire to shape) every decision.

In our organisation, we observe leaders managing this complexity and are reminded how important it is to have the most reflective and capable individuals in place. Like the whakataukī reminds us, these leaders need every feather: the right support, skills and mandate to fly.

Kia haere tonu tahi tātou,

Sheffield