<p style="text-align:center"><em><span style="font-size:12px">Jess Wagland (R&#363;nanga Member), Anthony Thompson (Board Member), and from Whakauae Mel Potaka Osborne,<br />
Lynley Cvitanovic, Rachel Brown.</span></em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>2018 kicked off with the Whakauae team and the R&#363;nanga o Ng&#257;ti Hauiti coming together to establish Whakauae&rsquo;s strategic plan for the next five years. The strategic planning was guided by the philosophy of wayfinding leadership based on the book of the same name by Dr Chellie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and John Panoho. Dr Spiller spent several hours with the team sharing the parameters and wisdom of the wayfinders. She prefaced the day by noting &ldquo;It&#39;s not the usual strategy planning session.&rdquo; She was right.</p>

<p>The wayfinding leadership k&#333;rero was inspiring and energising. Chellie guided us through some of the key tenets of wayfinding leadership and everyone had an opportunity to reflect on their own rangatira space, how to lead with others in a mana enhancing way, to be guided by &#39;success is succession&#39;, that the island/goal is not in the future but in what we do each day, and to embrace the unknown and understand our relationship with change.</p>

<p>This k&#333;rero set the scene for the remainder of the day and was an inspiring way to frame the journey, being forward looking and mindful in spite of uncertainty.</p>

<p>Once approved by the Whakauae Board, the new strategic plan will guide the direction of the centre as we seek to achieve our vision of transforming M&#257;ori lives through excellent research.</p>
