Independent consultancy One Plus One Communications has partnered with Shayne Walker, former CEO of Ngāti Porou Holding Company, to offer authentic and transformative Māori engagement strategy and implementation to clients.
The partnership arose from a growing recognition from clients of the need to meaningfully weave Māori engagement and tikanga together with commercial goals, and to manage the end-to-end communication of that haerenga authentically.
Walker is actively involved in a number of Māori and community governance roles and, in addition to having led the commercial arm of Aotearoa’s second largest iwi Ngāti Porou, has held prominent commercial roles including Head of Māori Business at BNZ and co-chaired the Hawkes Bay Regional Economic Development Strategy.
His expertise spans financial, primary industry, healthcare, and public sectors, complementing One Plus One’s significant presence and interest in those areas.
Kelly Bennett, Founder and Managing Director at One Plus One, says Walker has already demonstrated an impressive ability to make meaningful connections and identify transformative opportunities for clients to engage with Māori.
“Shayne is thoughtful, smart and strategic with a business pedigree that speaks for itself, but beyond that he’s a pillar of his community, a genuine and caring person with immense mana – as we witnessed when he swung into action in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. We’re grateful and proud to work alongside him.”
Walker says he’s enjoyed working with the team at One Plus One and is motivated to take clients on a journey that begins in kōrero but ultimately results in impactful action.
“One Plus One, as a leading communications consultancy, has the unique ability to seed a kōrero inside some of the businesses and organisations that are shaping Aotearoa, and what I can do is ensure that kōrero is had in the right way, with the right people and that the follow-through is there to make a difference.”
