Interested in joining an Akoako session?
What is an Akoako session?
It is focused on giving back to and connecting our client community (and one for which we don’t charge). It involves bringing a small group of senior OD professionals into our whare for a combination of manaakitanga, teaching and learning – thus they are referred to as Akoako Sessions.
The details
This (free) event will be kept to a small, less than 10 person group.
Wellington – Tuesday 21 April 2026 – Topic: Business Partnering
Christchurch – Tuesday 24 March 2026 – Topic: Business Partnering
Hamilton – Wednesday 29 April 2026 – Topic: Strategic Influencing
What are our current Akoako topics?
Business Partnering
These Akoako Sessions are designed for HR and OD Business Partners who are looking to deepen their impact and influence across the business. We’ll explore what effective business partnering looks like in practice – beyond the frameworks – and how to build trust, credibility, and strategic alignment with senior leaders.
Through shared learning, real-world scenarios, and practical tools, we’ll unpack:
- The mindset and behaviours of high-impact business partners
- Navigating complex stakeholder relationships
- Techniques for framing conversations that shift thinking and drive action
As always, this session is grounded in manaakitanga and ako – a space for mutual learning, connection, and growth.
Strategic Influencing
These Akoako Sessions are for senior HR/OD specialists focusing on ‘Influencing at a strategic level’.
We will discuss some challenging situations, have participants share their own thinking and strategies and we will contribute some of our own techniques.
We have run a number of these successfully already and the feedback has been great.
What have attendees been saying?
- “Its great to get to meet and work with others in our field experiencing similar challenges”
- “We took away a number of insights from working with others on real life scenarios”
- “Its great to have a bit of time to take some time out for personal development”
Interested in joining one of these free sessions, email team@updraft.co for more information.