In my view, Dr. Hinemoa Elder is one of the great thought leaders of our time. She is an extraordinary communicator and leader. When Hinemoa speaks, people listen. She is an authoritative and powerful voice on indigenous issues. She has a unique ability to transcend time by bringing our ancestral wisdom to the fore and applying it to the contemporary challenges we are facing. She effortlessly moves between complex and interlinking worlds to unearth shared potential. Her contributions are intellectually sound and always current. In my experience, engaging her expertise has a profound and lasting impact on the kaupapa.
Speaker
Whakapā mai
“He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.” What is the food of chiefs? It is talking, it is communication, it is discussion.
Words have a life of their own and how we say them gives them so many colours and flavours, different meanings, different connections. I love the way words connect with each other, their own whakapapa, genealogy. Communication externally and internally is critical for effective leadership.
Speaking is inherently about listening. Listening with our unique histories as ears creates a new level of connection with ourselves, others and our planet. This approach refuels our courage and commitment to make the right difference in the right way.
I love the challenge of speaking to a vast range of audiences. I have been a keynote at medical, forensic, and other psychiatric meetings, womens’ leadership conferences, on a ship with 100 women scientists in Antarctica. Speaking face to face and online. I am regularly asked to speak about mental wellbeing, illness, COVID, health measures. I speak at wānanga and hui, at book festivals and for Boards.
I love to immerse myself in the world of the audience and see what provocations emerge.