Last week I joined the Department of Conservation Executive Team on retreat at beautiful Kapiti Island – the birthplace of formal conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Immersed in this predator-free sanctuary, we connected to ourselves, to each other, to DOC’s purpose, and to fresh ways of being and doing in our leadership.
One of the ways their mahi shows up in the world is National Conservation Week (1–7 Sept). This year’s invitation: Always Be Naturing.
Reflecting on our time together, and this bl**dy great campaign, got me thinking about the leadership lessons for all of us, wherever we lead:
- The everyday matters: words, choices, and gestures shape culture.
- Responsibility is shared: distributed leadership is what allows organisations to thrive.
- Restoration takes time: sustained, adaptive effort builds resilience and adaptive capacity.
- Stories shift perspective: reframing challenges opens new ways forward.
- Leaders equip others: tools and practices allow restoration to spread.
- Coalitions multiply impact: collaboration across boundaries creates scale.
Always Be Naturing becomes a provocation to Always Be Leading – in ways that restore, regenerate, and renew.
A REFLECTION QUESTION: Which of these resonates most with what your leadership is asking of you now?
Interested to learn more?
WATCH the campaign video.
EXPLORE how your business could be naturing.
FIND ways to go naturing with your family this school holidays
PS: Need some restoration and regeneration for YOUR leadership? Check out the details of the 2026 Turning Point Leadership programme for executive and senior women. Applications close 28 November. LEARN MORE HERE.
