Leadership Network member's journey comes full circle back to his marae
As part of the Leadership Network's 20th anniversary, we're catching up with some of the original members who joined back in 2006. This month we connect with Luke Rikiti — a member whose connection with Asia has shaped much of his life and who has been a stalwart of the Leadership Network since the very first hui.
Luke: "“Representing the network on the marae was a special moment for me, making sure that we upheld Māori kawa and tikanga.”
When Luke Rikiti joined the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Leadership Network, he thought he was signing up to learn more about Asia. It turned out he would also learn more about where he came from.
The induction hui for his cohort included a stay at a marae on the shores of Lake Rotorua.
It was a place connected to his father’s whakapapa.
Luke did not grow up there. His father had moved to Invercargill, where he married Luke’s Pākehā mother, and that is where Luke was raised.
“Representing the network on the marae was a special moment for me, making sure that we upheld Māori kawa and tikanga,” he says.
“After the formalities were complete, it was great seeing everyone happy and relaxed.
“I had no idea that 20 years after first stepping onto that marae, it would become my place of work.”
Luke explaining the concept of poutama at Parua Marae, Hinemoa's Point, Lake Rotorua
After completing a degree in international and Māori business at Victoria University, Luke spent several years in the corporate world in roles across the education, banking and fisheries sectors, with a focus on iwi Māori.
In 2018, he decided to start his own business.
He says the leadership network gave him the nudge he needed.
“It gave me the confidence to engage in national and international arenas,” he says.
Being around others building careers, starting businesses and working overseas made that step feel more normal.
Now, he is based in Rotorua, running Pepeha Journeys, a boutique cultural tourism business.
He hosts small groups from around the world, including school students from China looking for something beyond a quick stop and a photo.
“Asia is a diverse region, with many intricacies and nuances, and one that was outside of my worldview growing up,” he says.
“The network bridged that knowledge gap and has provided me with a sense of confidence...gaining firsthand experience in market was key to building my knowledge and understanding.”
On his experiences, Luke provides a 101 introduction to Māori culture in a safe and comfortable way.
“We use tikanga Māori to help bridge the gap between cultures,” he says.
“This allows us to acknowledge and pay due respect to each other’s culture.
“We provide experiential learning workshops such as cooking, nature walks and the arts and crafts to help build trust, confidence and understanding.”
Luke spent his last year at university learning Mandarin, not to become fluent in the language but to gain a better understanding of Chinese culture.
Later, through travel, the language started to make sense.
“It gave me an understanding of a worldview,” he says.
That perspective led to a wider role with the foundation. Luke joined its Māori advisory group, Te Kāhui Māori.
Luke says New Zealand can’t build strong relationships with Asia without first being clear about its own identity.
For him, Māori culture and language are central to that. They are not something to add on later.
“I think it is important for us as a nation to understand our unique points of difference that set us apart in the world,” he says.
“I believe developing our understanding of culture will help build deeper connections.”
Luke standing at the entrance to Paruaharanui meeting house and his son Taeyang Rikiti, dressed in traditional Korean attire
Luke’s connection to Asia became deeply personal when his two-year-old son, Taeyang, died in a landslide during a storm in South Korea, along with his son’s mother and grandmother.
He travelled there to be with his son’s maternal whānau.
He says parts of the grieving process felt familiar; it was based on similar values to what he’d grown up with.
The body lay in a funeral home; visitors came to pay their respects, bringing gifts, food and money, much like koha.
His son is buried in South Korea, and Luke later dedicated the business to keeping his son’s legacy alive.
Over the years, Luke has been part of a range of overseas official trips, including mayoral delegations and trade visits throughout Asia.
But what stayed with him were not the formal meetings — it was the conversations over meals.
“It’s those connections that matter,” he says.
“It’s relationships that build trust, and that trust builds business.”
He says the leadership network gives young New Zealanders the chance to build those connections for themselves.
Luke sees his story as one of many.
It is a story of New Zealanders gaining the confidence to engage with Asia, then bringing that experience back to their own whānau, workplaces and communities.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network equips the next generation of Kiwi leaders to excel in Asia. We provide members with the connections, knowledge and confidence to lead New Zealand’s future relationship with the region.
