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Esther Whitehead, Impact and Inclusion Consultant, New Zealand

Esther Whitehead

Impact and Inclusion Consultant, New Zealand

Esther supports New Zealand changemakers to activate their agency, to enhance and grow leadership in our communities and organisations through facilitating the Thrive Mind Change Model and embracing mātauranga Māori alongside western science. 

Esther has spent years as an activist, educator, facilitator, researcher, published author and founder in the two fields of Inclusive Education and Sustainability, and is currently a councillor at Queenstown Lakes District Council and Climate Lead with the Centre for Social Impact.

Qualifications

  • Tech Futures Lab

    Postgraduate Certificate, Organisational Leadership

  • Unschool

    Disruptive Design in Sustainability

  • Massey University

    Postgraduate Degree, Special Education and Teaching

  • Bournemouth University

    Bachelor’s Degree, Ecology and Environmental Protection

  • Al Gore Climate Leaders Programme

    Certificate, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption

  • The Mind Lab

    Postgraduate Diploma, Leading Change for Good.

Services

  • Workshop facilitation for community groups and organisations

  • Organisational theory of change for positive climate impact

  • Workshops and event speaking engagements

  • Consultation and advisory services

  • Research, reporting and written articles

Case Studies

  • Research on finding capital to create greater impact for climate resilience.

    “Collectively, we need to change our mindset about how we find the capital to grow the impact sector, to create a healthy, vibrant, fair and just society for our children. This research is a well-structured set of recommendations and solutions, educating our society about the changing capital needs of enterprises in our country, the decisions we have to make, and how important it is that we recognise the need to find new ways forward without delay.”

    Read report

    David Woods
    Deputy Chair

    Impact Investing National Advisory Board Aotearoa New Zealand

  • Direct advisory services and impact to events and businesses

    Thrive Mind continues to work with businesses and charities to support their needs, Esther started this as part of her work with Sustainable Queenstown Charitable Trust and Kiwiharvest. She continues this work through Thrive Mind.

  • Shaping community action

    Thrive Mind is currently working with the Centre for Social impact on the Tika Transition. This is a commitment to recognise mātauranga Māori in climate action side-by-side western science and share resources to support others to thrive, leading 12 community trusts and other signatories throughout the country on this piece of work. Funders Commitment

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