Meet Waiarka
Ko Wai Au
Ko Wairaka ahau, he uri nō Ngāti Whare, wāhine Māori, and the Founder & Leadership Partner at Arotahi Solutions.
In 2025, I received my Moko Kauae in honour of my mum and kuia. It symbolises leadership, resilience, and responsibility — values I carry into every part of my mahi.
It is also a visible declaration of cultural integrity in leadership: a reminder that results should never come at the cost of people or identity. This belief is at the heart of why I walk alongside leaders today.
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My Leadership Journey
I know the realities of leading from the middle — balancing service delivery, team wellbeing, and system pressures, often under high demand.
Over more than a decade, I have:
- Guided leaders and staff through policy and contract changes, making complexity workable in practice.
- Designed and implemented retention and engagement strategies that reduced turnover and built stronger teams.
- Developed and delivered leadership capability programs that gave leaders clarity, confidence, and alignment.
- Supported leaders to make high-stakes decisions while safeguarding cultural integrity and wellbeing.
These experiences shaped my leadership and laid the foundation for the kaupapa behind Arotahi Solutions.
How I Work
As a Leadership Partner, I draw on three interconnected approaches, applied at the right time and space for each leader and team:
- Coaching — creating space for reflection, clarity, and growth under pressure.
- Mentoring — providing practical guidance grounded in lived leadership experience.
- Facilitation — holding trusted spaces where teams align, strengthen trust, and move forward with purpose.
Together, these approaches support leaders to build confidence, cohesion, and sustainable performance.
Beyond the Mahi
Grounded in whānau, hauora, and creativity, I bring the same values into my mahi as I do into life.
Whether I’m supporting my own whānau, building pathways for future leaders, or creating space for cultural integrity in workplaces, my focus stays constant — strengthening people, protecting culture, and leading with purpose.
