Professor Chellie Spiller is a distinguished academic in leadership at the Waikato Management School and a passionate advocate for Māori and Indigenous leadership and development. Her research spans Māori economies, governance, inclusion, belonging, and social justice, equity, and sovereignty.

Chellie leads a transdisciplinary team of researchers focused on Māori economies of well-being, grounded in a strong whānau-centered approach. This work is part of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence, with their collective book set to be published in 2025.

Chellie's leadership is enriched by her extensive academic accomplishments:

Leader in Residence, Atlantic Institute, Oxford University (2023): During this tenure, she contributed to and helped produce The Catalyst’s Way – A Handbook for People Who Want to Change the World, alongside its companion guide, The Catalyst’s Way – Foundational Storytellers. These works aim to empower changemakers globally through tools and guidance for transformational leadership.
Marsden Fund Council Member and Economics and Human and Behavioural Sciences (EHB)
Fulbright Senior Scholar, Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Arizona

Chellie is a recipient of:

Research Excellence Award
Dame Mira Szászy Māori Alumni Award
National Māori Academic Excellence Award

Chellie is a co-author of the transformative book Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders with Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and John Panoho. This work introduces a groundbreaking model for authentic leadership. Her other notable publications include:

Practical Wisdom, Leadership and Culture (2020)
Indigenous Spiritualities at Work (2015)
Reflections on Authentic Leadership (2013), which was shortlisted for an international award

Chellie draws inspiration from her grandmother, Wikitoria Wairakau Te Taite Whare Atkinson, and other Māori elders like Jane Marsden and Pereme Porter (Ngāpuhi). Her mother, Monica Stockdale, imparted values of humility, grace, and service, while her father, Tony Stockdale, nurtured her love for cosmology and philosophy. Her husband, Rodger Spiller, a renowned advocate for responsible investment, provides unwavering support in her journey.

She is an ardent and receptive learner of te reo and completed the full-year Rumaki Reo immersion programme at Te Wānanga o Takiura in 2024.

Tukuna tō kete mōna ake e kōrero.

- Nō Wikitoria Wairakau Te Taite Whare Atkinson

Links:

Dr Chellie Spiller Profile The University of Waikato

Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders

Dr Chellie Spiller Website

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga

Huia Publishers

Chellie Spiller Google Scholar

Wayfinding Leadership: Wisdom for Developing Potential | Chellie Spiller | TEDxHastingsSt

What is wayfinding leadership? | Chellie Spiller | Next Horizon Symposium