Te Whāriki: Weaving Trust into Leadership Resilience with Ana Christmas — LNZ Masterclass Series 2026

In this masterclass we ask, what does it mean to lead through uncertainty with trust at the centre?

Leadership NZ Chief Executive Ana Christmas introduces Te Whāriki, a story-led framework for community resilience grounded in Te Taiao, whakapapa, restorative practice and relationship-led action. Drawing on her Masters research into environmental restoration, community resilience and ancestral wisdom, Ana invites us to explore trust as a living system held in our bodies, histories, relationships, organisations, whenua and communities.

This is not a session about trust as a soft skill. It's about the relational fabric that keeps us connected across difference, uncertainty, discomfort and action.

What we'll explore:

• Trust as a living system - Beyond the idea of trust as a personal trait: how it is held and carried through our bodies, histories, relationships and whenua.

• Te Whāriki - a story-led framework - Weaving Te Taiao, whakapapa, restorative practice and relationship-led action into an approach to community resilience.

• Lessons from restoration and ancestral wisdom - What environmental restoration and the wisdom of our tūpuna can teach us about leading, and recovering, together.

• Courageous conversation - Staying connected when the conversation is hard, and what it takes to hold trust through discomfort.

• Storytelling and practical inquiry - Moving from reflection to action, with ways to bring Te Whāriki back to your team, organisation and community.

Why this matters

Leaders today are asked to navigate uncertainty, work collaboratively and lead from purpose, often all at once. This masterclass is for leaders who want to go deeper on all three, and contribute to a more connected Aotearoa. Together we'll move through reflection, courageous conversation, storytelling and practical inquiry. This is where that work begins.

Register your place today!

About our Speaker

Ana Christmas is Chief Executive of Leadership New Zealand, a board member, strategic adviser and former Chief Executive of The Forest Bridge Trust, a large-scale conservation NGO working with landowners, tangata whenua, communities and environmental partners to restore and protect native ecosystems across Kaipara Ki Mahurangi.

Previously, Ana spent nearly a decade in family violence prevention and social services, including leading an independent women’s refuge through a transformative merger to establish Kindred Family Services. She also co-founded Kai Collective, now South Kaipara Good Food, to address food security in her community.

Ana holds a Master of Change and Organisational Resilience from AcademyEX and is a Leadership New Zealand 2020 alumna.