Ko te kaingākau a te kaiārahitanga

Leadership and commitment

That is what Te Ropu Poa is all about. Te Ropu leads Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, the health provider arm for the largest iwi in the country. She is involved in a number of innovative initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of whānau, hapū and iwi.  She operates under the following mantra:

Mauri tū, mauri ora

An active soul is a healthy soul

This is reflected in the following ABCs of leadership:

Authenticity

Te Ropu's hard-work, dedication, and long-term focus are the hallmark of her authentic leadership. Leaders like Te Ropu stay true to the things that make them unique and tirelessly move towards their goals despite outside pressures to change or conform.

Boldness

Most people go out of their way to avoid confrontation for fear of an argument, but not Te Ropu! She knows know how to approach others in an upfront and honest way to address concerns.  Stopping a problem earlier on means she saves a huge amount of time (not to mention headaches) versus leaving it unresolved.

Capability

To get the best from others and build personal capability, Te Ropu works to understand people's motivations and aspirations – she is positive, generous and open-minded. It is best summed up in the following proverb:

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

Te Ropu is one of those leaders that genuinely try to understand what people really want, in order to help them better perform and progress towards their goals.