Marae-Based Inclusion Training: Bridging Culture and Commerce in Aotearoa

Discover how marae-based learning builds true workplace inclusion, cultural safety, and leadership growth in New Zealand organisations.

Inclusion has become a familiar word in strategy documents and diversity policies across New Zealand workplaces. But genuine inclusion cannot be achieved through policy alone - it must be lived through experience.

That’s why marae-based learning is becoming one of the most powerful ways to strengthen workplace culture. On the marae, hierarchy softens. Language shifts. People reconnect as human beings first. It is an environment that encourages openness, humility, and respect - values that modern leadership depends on.

Through pōwhiri, kōrero, and shared kai, teams learn how to listen before they speak and to collaborate through relationship rather than instruction. The lessons are not theoretical; they are embodied. This is where inclusion stops being an abstract concept and becomes a lived experience.

At Wolfgramm Holdings, our Te Uru Tāngata Immersive Marae Day was designed precisely for this purpose. It’s not about observing culture from the outside - it’s about stepping inside it. Participants experience tikanga (customs) and kawa (protocols) in a way that connects head, heart, and hands. They begin to see that every person carries identity, story, and potential that deserve to be recognised.

What happens on the marae cannot be replicated in a classroom or boardroom. The experience is emotional, relational, and deeply human. Leaders come to understand that cultural capability is not an optional skill - it is leadership itself. When people feel culturally safe, they contribute more confidently, innovate more freely, and build stronger, more trusting relationships.

For organisations committed to inclusion, the next step is to move beyond awareness training. Tick-box exercises may raise understanding, but they rarely build belonging. Belonging is cultivated through shared experience - through being present, participating, and learning together.

On the marae, everyone has a place. It is here that people rediscover connection - to each other, to purpose, and to the land beneath their feet. The impact extends long after the day ends, shaping how teams communicate, collaborate, and care for one another.

For leaders wanting to create workplaces where inclusion is felt, not just written, the journey begins on the marae.

To learn more about how the Te Uru Tāngata Immersive Marae Day transforms leadership and team culture, contact www.wgholdings.co.nz or email [email protected].