About Us
Katerina Kupenga
Kaiwhakahaere | Director / Lead Facilitator
Tāmaki nui-a-Rua | Dannevirke
Kia ora! I’m Katerina, founder of AraHina and Lead Strategic Planning Facilitator.
As a proud wahine Māori of Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau a Apanui, I whakapapa to Ruatōrea, Whāngārā, and Te Kaha, and was born and raised in Tūranga nui-a-Kiwa Gisborne. Being raised on my tūrangawaewae, I was surrounded by whānau who were deeply involved in revitalising te ao Māori, so a lot of my childhood was spent at the marae going to hui and wānanga. Growing up in small rural communities also showed me firsthand how hard our grassroots communities work and the impact they create with limited resources.
This experience guided me toward a career dedicated to strategy. Beginning in the corporate sector, I led strategy and leadership development across three international centres. I later moved into the not for profit sector, supporting primary schools across the motu to co-design their strategic plans. During this time, I also served on kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa boards where my tamariki attended, which deepened my understanding of strategic planning from an ao Māori lens.
Throughout this journey, I saw a clear need for strategic planning services tailored for our hapū, iwi, and grassroots communities — something that translated the business world into approaches that were easy to understand and grounded in te ao Māori. This is when AraHina was born: creating a space that interweaves te ao Māori and modern facilitation tools to design future-focused strategies that turn their dreams into action and drive ground-up change.
Now, with nearly four years in business, we have proudly supported more than 70 organisations across Aotearoa — from marae and iwi trusts to national organisations — helping them turn aspirations into strategy and vision into action.
Our Tohu
At the centre of our tohu is the Mangopare, set within a circle representing Hina. Together they symbolise strength, resilience, and our kaupapa Māori foundation. The design also weaves in the letters A and H, anchoring the tohu to AraHina. The outer detailing draws on a simplified whakarare pattern, reflecting ongoing transformation, growth, and the ever-evolving nature of strategy and leadership.
Our Purpose
The name AraHina holds deep meaning. It represents the guiding light that helps us navigate towards our vision of an Aotearoa Hou where Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti thrive
Our visual identity reflects this story: the waka represents our shared journey, Hina beams as our guiding light, and our maunga, Hikurangi, anchors our destination - just as our tipuna once looked to when navigating from Hawaiki to Aotearoa
Which brings us to our purpose: to support communities and organisations to turn vision into action through strategic planning grounded in te ao Māori, because we believe strategic planning has the power to create unity, strengthen communities, and create lasting impact.
This is the heart of AraHina — the reason we exist — guiding our collective waka toward an Aotearoa Hou
As an internationally certified ToP™ Facilitator I bring over 20 years of experience in business coaching, leadership development, facilitation, and strategic planning across corporate, public, and community sectors
Our Why
AraHina exists to provide strategic planning services grounded in te ao Māori, with our values at the heart of everything we do
Whanaungatanga
Relationships First
We welcome every client as whānau, and those connections anchor each wānanga and strategic planning workshop we facilitate
Kotahitanga
Unity in Action
We support whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities unite around a shared purpose, designing each engagement to reflect their unique needs and aspirations
Rangatiratanga
Community-Led Change
We believe in unlocking the collective wisdom and strength within communities so they can lead the change that they see best for their future
Trusted by Communities and Organisations Across Aotearoa
Our Vision
AraHina strives to be a trusted Māori facilitation consultancy and the go-to for strategic planning and meaningful partnerships.
Success for us looks like te iwi Māori united and thriving with strategies grounded in Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake. It also means seeing Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti working in partnership to achieve positive outcomes for our future generations in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
We envision a future where Māori facilitators are visible, valued, and leading across the motu, and where Mātauranga Māori and Indigenous-informed approaches are recognised as a respected foundation within facilitation practice.
When all of this is realised, Tino Rangatiratanga will be lived every day, and Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, and Te Ao Māori will thrive together, positively shaping the future of Aotearoa.
" Your tools and teaching methods make facilitation techniques easy to pick up and apply in a range of spaces. "
"Your tools and teaching methods make facilitation techniques easy to pick up and apply in a range of spaces.""You are outstanding at bringing all participants on the journey, regardless of their starting point, and ensuring everyone's voice is heard."
"Fully walking the talk, not just talking the talk. You allowed humour during sensitive kaupapa, making the process approachable and engaging while honouring its cultural significance."
"It was beautiful to see everyone come together and agree on a way forward at the end of the hui – something I thought might not happen!"
"I'm so proud of the outcome of this project. The facilitation at the beginning was a critical success factor for the project."
" You have a gentle nature and are a really good listener. You facilitate in a neutral manner and know when to deep dive to get the best out of participants."
"You facilitated in a relaxed, fun, inspiring, and motivational way while staying focused on what we were trying to achieve."
"You are personable and approachable, with an ability to understand and read a room or group. You adapt seamlessly to whatever the situation brings."
"Making a te ao Māori approach work for not just Māori but other cultures as well – we had a melting pot, and it worked exceptionally well. You made te ao Māori concepts relatable and 'doable' for all."
"Your skills at keeping our rōpū on task were amazing and worked extremely well. Your calm, confident manner was not only inspiring but also empowering for those of us attending."
"You create a culturally safe environment that is both honouring and uplifting. Manaakitanga and kotahitanga are embedded in you."
"You have a real strength working in both corporate and whānau, hāpori spaces, seamlessly bridging these different worlds."
Book a kōrero
Let’s talk about where you’re headed and how
AraHina can help guide the way.
