Māori Leadership Summit 2027
Te Ara ki 2040
The Road to Two Hundred Years
24–25 March 2027 JW Marriott Auckland In person & livestreamed
in partnership with
Choose your experience
Four days.
Four ways in.
First-in rate · ends 9 October 2026
First into 9 Oct 2026 Early birdto 29 Jan 2027 Standardfrom 30 Jan 2027
Conference
24–25 March · 2 days
$1,999
NZD, excl. GST
First-in rate · standard $2,699
Two days of leadership, connection and kōrero, chaired by Whakaaro.
Pre-conference workshop
23 March · 1 day
$1,099
NZD, excl. GST
First-in rate · standard $1,299
Māori Leadership Journey — a full day with Whakaaro on leading from where you stand.
Post-conference workshop
26 March · 1 day
$1,099
NZD, excl. GST
First-in rate · standard $1,299
Te Reo Māori in the Workplace — practical, hands-on, judgement-free. No prior reo needed.
All four days
23–26 March · 4 days
$3,599
NZD, excl. GST
First-in rate · standard $4,399
Both workshops and both conference days — the complete summit.
Combinations, tables of eight, livestream and group rates
| In person | First into 9 Oct 2026 | Early birdto 29 Jan 2027 | Standardfrom 30 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference only | $1,999 | $2,399 | $2,699 |
| Pre-conference workshop only | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,299 |
| Post-conference workshop only | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,299 |
| Conference + pre-conference workshop | $2,899 | $3,299 | $3,599 |
| Conference + post-conference workshop | $2,899 | $3,299 | $3,599 |
| All four days | $3,599 | $3,999 | $4,399 |
| Corporate table of 8 — conference only | $13,999 | $14,999 | $15,999 |
| Company table of 8 — entire event | $21,999 | $22,999 | $23,999 |
| Livestream | First into 9 Oct 2026 | Early birdto 29 Jan 2027 | Standardfrom 30 Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference only | $1,799 | $1,899 | $1,999 |
| Corporate table of 8 — conference only | $9,999 | $10,499 | $10,999 |
Bring the team
- 3 attendees — 5% off
- 4–5 attendees — 10% off
- 6 or more — 15% off
Sector rates
- Local government — 10% off
- Not-for-profit — 20% off
Group and sector discounts do not apply to livestream passes. Questions about a booking? Call +61 2 8294 2044 or email info@theleadershipinstitute.com.au.
Te Ara ki 2040
What will still be standing in 2040?
In 2040, Aotearoa marks two hundred years since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That is thirteen years away. The Māori Leadership Summit brings together leaders across business, government, iwi and community to think beyond the immediate cycle and build what lasts.
Featured kōrero
The voices shaping
the journey.
Tāme Iti
Artist · Political activist · Actor · Iwi leader
Read kōrero
Tāme Iti
Artist · Political activist · Actor · Iwi leader Read kōreroFor fifty years, Tāme Iti has been the voice that would not be quieted. Arrested, surveilled, dismissed — and still standing, still making work, still asking Aotearoa the questions it would rather avoid.
Artist, activist, actor and iwi leader, his life’s work embodies mana motuhake. In 2027 he turns from the past to the horizon: what the next thirteen years demand of us, and what we intend to hand over in 2040.
Ka mua, ka muri
— his opening fireside kōrero looks fifty years back and
thirteen years forward.
Ria Apiata
Ngāpuhi
Managing Director, Whakaaro · Summit chair and emcee
Read kōrero
Ria Apiata
Ngāpuhi Managing Director, Whakaaro · Summit chair and emcee Read kōreroRia chairs both days of the summit and sets its questions. Whakaaro have shaped the Māori Leadership Summit since 2026 and return in 2027 as kaitiaki of the kaupapa.
Last year we asked what new pathways look like. This year we ask the harder
question: what makes a pathway last?
Reuben Araroa
Ngāti Awa · Ngāi Tūhoe · Ngāpuhi
Founding Director, Whakaaro · Workshop facilitator
Read kōrero
Reuben Araroa
Ngāti Awa · Ngāi Tūhoe · Ngāpuhi Founding Director, Whakaaro · Workshop facilitator Read kōreroReuben leads the workshop days either side of the conference — the Māori Leadership Journey on 23 March, and Te Reo Māori in the Workplace on 26 March.
Whakaaro are not theoreticians. They are leaders still operating in the fire, weaving leadership practice together with Te Ao Māori values so that people grow in life, work and whānau.
More keynote speakers to be announced. Six keynote sessions run across the two days, closing with He Reo Ora: Forty Years On.
Developed in partnership with
Creating leaders who inspire through story.
Traditional corporate leadership programmes were not built for Aotearoa. Whakaaro changes that by weaving leadership practice together with Te Ao Māori values, helping leaders grow in life, work and whānau. They are not theoreticians. They are leaders still operating in the fire.
Why attend
Build what lasts.
Lead
Hear from leaders holding their ground through a period of review and reversal, and what has kept their work standing.
Connect
Four days of honest kōrero in Tāmaki Makaurau, with leaders building for the long horizon rather than the next cycle.
Partner
Explore what genuine, durable partnership with iwi, hapū and Māori enterprise looks like when measured in generations.
Grow
Move past awareness training to cultural capability that changes how decisions get made — and outlives staff turnover.
Understand
Get a clear view of where Te Ōhanga Māori is heading between now and 2040, and what it means for your organisation.
Invest
Understand how to grow, support and hold on to the rangatahi who will be leading when Aotearoa marks two hundred years.
The venue
Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland · Aotearoa
- Venue
- JW Marriott Auckland
- Address
- 22–26 Albert Street
Auckland CBD 1010 - Conference
- 24–25 March 2027
9:00 am – 5:30 pm NZT - Workshops
- 23 and 26 March 2027
9:00 am – 5:00 pm NZT
The road is long.
We start walking it together.