Kia ora, I’m Cleo Shortland

My whakapapa, who I am

My people are Ngāti Hine, Ngaariki Kaiputahi and Ngāti Porou of the Far North and East Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand. I also have roots in the South of England.

My Māori ancestors arrived by waka, Ngatokimatawhaorua and Nga Ika Nui a Raura. My English ancestors by ship in 1846, not long after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, two cultures coming together. Whakapapa is how I understand my place in the world and how I understand my work.

When I sit with you at a threshold, I'm drawing on a worldview that is relational, cyclical, and rooted in place. Something I was born into and have spent my life learning.

A woman with long curly hair writing in a notebook with a pen, sitting at a reflective black table with books, a laptop, and papers, in a room with gray curtains.
A woman with long curly hair writing in a notebook with a pen, sitting at a reflective black table with books, a laptop, and papers, in a room with gray curtains.

My work

I am a weaver. I listen and weave, deepening my understanding of a person’s needs and how they work into a much larger picture before dropping down into practical aligned steps. Before this work, I spent over a decade inside the legal industry and ran my first business running regulatory change projects for startups, small to medium sized enterprises and large corporate, listening and building systems for my teams across many industries.

I know and understand the highs, the lows, and the parts that are hidden from us in ownership. My work asks the questions that will lead to what is most important before guiding you into aligned action.

I invite you to book a curiosity call to talk about what this season holds for you.

Mauri ora, Cleo