Leading with Aroha: Our Obligation to Each Other with Dan Anderson
When: 12pm-1pm, 11 April 2025
Where: online
About this event
Leadership is not about control—it’s about creating the conditions for potential to thrive. It’s about holding space for people to step into their own power, fostering environments where collective strength fuels individual growth.
We must lead by designing the unseen structures that allow transformation to happen. We should flip narratives—rather than seeking investment first and build solutions for complex problems and let results drive momentum. Leaders should cultivate cultures where curiosity is limitless, where the wisdom of the past meets the innovation of the present, and where leadership is not about authority, but about enabling movement.
The most effective leadership is deeply relational, founded in the belief that change happens when we strip away illusions and work with what is real. Visionaries see beyond what exists now to what could be, and they bring others on that journey—not by dictating the path, but by shaping an environment where they can explore, challenge, and grow.
At its core, leadership is about returning to what we already know—trusting in identity, connection, and collective wisdom. It’s about showing that organisations, like people, can be led with aroha, courage, and a commitment to long-term, intergenerational impact. This isn’t just leadership—it’s building the future, one intentional step at a time.
What to expect
This session will be an open conversation about leadership. We invite you to come and share your questions, thoughts and reflections in a safe and supportive environment
About Dan Anderson
Job titles and ladder climbing never felt fulfilling to me—they’re just a bit shit. I’ve done different things, each adding something to my kete, but none of it compares to lived experience—the full spectrum of it. From love and joy to loss and struggle, those are the things that have shaped me most.
I was born feeling Māori. Then, for many reasons, I ran from my childhood and my identity. I didn’t look back. But like a shadow, my whakapapa and my beginning was always there—I could never escape it. Many had it worse, but I experienced enough to know I didn’t want my kids growing up feeling this way.
Confronting those early experiences, grieving them, and moving forward taught me more than anything else ever could. You always carry the past, but it doesn’t need control you or inhibit you. Instead, it can strengthen you, adding unimaginable depth, understanding, and will.
I didn’t overcome adversity gracefully. I stumbled. I got it wrong. I was lucky. I snuck through, thanks to a few special people along the way. But through it all, I managed to hold onto what I was born with—an idea that anything is possible, regardless of circumstance.
I love the fearless curiosity of children, and I see their magic often. They don’t hesitate, they don’t second-guess, they just move—open, questioning, fearless. That’s what we’re meant to be before the world tells us otherwise.
Reclaiming my identity and being comfortable with who I am gave me more than I could have ever imagined. Because in the end, it’s not the things we own, the titles we hold, or the paths we take—it’s the depth of who we are, the belief in ourselves, our aroha for others, and the way we keep moving, no matter what.
Dan Anderson is Kaiwhakahaere at Te Hou Ora Whānau Services
Connect with Dan:
Find Dan on LinkedIn
Website: Te Hou Ora Whānau Services
Instagram: @thows_otepoti
