Kristina Cavit has spent over a decade working with marginalised communities facing stress and trauma in New Zealand and around the world.
After Kristina experienced Mindfulness as profoundly effective in overcoming challenges in her own life and the lives of others, she founded The Kindness Institute, a not-for-profit organisation hellbent on creating a world where everyone has the tools to manage stress and live meaningful lives. Kristina and her team deliver life changing Mindfulness based programs for individuals, schools, youth justice and youth who've been kicked out of school. 100% of Rangatahi in her core program report a reduction in stress.
Kristina is passionate about taking a kaupapa Maori approach to Mindfulness and stress reduction.
She has trained with world leading organisations including Jon Kabat-Zinn's Centre for Mindfulness through the University Of Massachusetts Medical School, The Holistic Life Foundation, supported by Harvard and John Hopkins Medical School, and The Institute of The Work of Byron Katie.
Kristina founded NPH New Zealand, which supports almost 4,000 orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America. She lived at the NPH orphanage in the Dominican Republic for two years in management, education and development.
Kristina is also the co-founder of FAT YOGA NZ which is a body positive community, fighting to change negative perceptions of the body.
She was nominated for Young New Zealander of the Year, became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 and received a Local Hero Award.
To experience Kristina's mindfulness practices firsthand, check out her meditation podcast on spotify.
Talking Points
Diversity and Inclusion
Kristina has spent the last 11 years supporting marginalised communities dealing with trauma and extreme adversity.Diversity and Inclusion
Kristina is the founder of The Kindness Institute, a not-for-profit organisation hellbent on creating a world where everyone has the tools to manage stress and live meaningful lives. She supports thousands of young people and their whanau to learn the skills to deal with life's challenges.
Kristina is the founder of three successful organisations which are all grounded in diversity, whanaungatanga and hauora (health). She is passionate about building people up from the grassroots level to create a more diverse, safe and empowering workplace culture.
The Kindness Institute is grounded in hauora Maori and creates employment opportunities and workplace mentoring for their rangatahi (youth) community. Kristina is passionate about empowering youth, wahine, Maori, Pasifika and marginalised communities to have the support they deserve to thrive in the workplace.
In this presentation, Kristina will share her story and support you to understand how Maori health model Te Whare tapa wha can support growth. She will talk alongside one of her amazing young people from The Kindness Institute who will share the rangatahi (youth) perspective on how to support rangatahi and wahine Maori to thrive in your organisation.
Wāhine Toa: Empowering Women
This powerful keynote is a tribute to the strength, softness, and strategic brilliance of wāhine. Kristina is one of the youngest people to receive a member of the NZ Order of Merit at 30 years old. At 23, she was supporting hundreds of volunteers through a natural disaster post the Haiti 2010 earthquake. Kristina has supported thousands of young people and whānau to transform their own wellbeing, and learnt a lot about leadership along the way. She is passionate about supporting wahine to lead without burning out. Through personal stories, mindfulness, and practical tools, Kristina explores what it means to lead with wairua, strength and heart.
Wāhine Toa: Empowering Women
Building Psychological safety: The foundation of successful teams
This talk cuts through the wellness noise and gives you real, evidence based tools for dealing with life's challenges. This kōrero covers Mindfulness & Resilience Tools that actually work. Through humour, powerful personal stories, interactive exercises and a kaupapa Māori approach - Kristina supports the audience to leave feeling calm, inspired and restored.
Building Psychological safety: The foundation of successful teams
Supporting Rangatahi: How to Actually Help Young People Thrive
Supporting rangatahi is about walking alongside them - with aroha and practical tools that actually work. Through Kristina's 15+ years experience of working with young people, she shared her top tips for supporting them to thrive at work and at home. Whether you’re a boss, a kaiako, or a parent, this kōrero offers strategies for creating trust, calm, and confidence in young people’s lives.
Supporting Rangatahi: How to Actually Help Young People Thrive
Māuri Tau: What Māori Approaches to Wellbeing Can Teach Us All
Māuri Tau is a state of calm and ease, and is about coming home to yourself. This keynote explores how Māori ways of being (wairua, whānau, hinengaro, tinana, whenua) offer an antidote to disconnection. Whether you're in a boardroom or a classroom, Māuri Tau can help you breathe again - and actually live your life, not just survive it. Kristina took 2024 off and spent a year in full immersion te reo Māori school. Kristina was whangai'd (adopted into a Pakeha whanau) and does not know her whakapapa, but has dedicated her life to supporting rangatahi Māori. She is passionate about bringing Māori wellbeing to life. Through personal stories, mindfulness, and practical tools, Kristina explores how mauri tau can support us all.
Māuri Tau: What Māori Approaches to Wellbeing Can Teach Us All
Parents & Schools: Cultivating Calm, Resilience & Inner Strength (Even When You’re Exhausted)
This one’s for the tired-as-hell parents, teachers, and kaimahi doing their best. Learn how to bring calm into chaos, model emotional regulation, and find tiny moments of strength when life feels chaotic. The focus is on practical tools, as well as giving the audience a relaxing and restorative experience.
Parents & Schools: Cultivating Calm, Resilience & Inner Strength (Even When You’re Exhausted)
Developing Aroha: Letting go of the Inner Critic
This unique kōrero helps us learn how to meet yourself with compassion, to reduce internal criticism, stop the shame spirals, why self-kindness is a leadership tool, how to let go of perfectionism and how to model it for your team, whānau, or tamariki. Kristina shares her personal story and looks at compassion from a kaupapa Māori perspective.
Developing Aroha: Letting go of the Inner Critic
LOVE YOUR TINANA: Body Image & Hauora
This isn’t your average body positivity talk. This is about re-defining what we deem as beautiful, looking at health at every size, reconnecting with your tinana, and building a relationship with your body rooted in aroha and acceptance. Backed by evidence, packed with personal stories, interactive exercises and aimed at freedom from stressful thinking and body image pressure. This is one of Kristina's most popular talks, and always leaves audiences feeling inspired to take care of their hauora (wellbeing).
LOVE YOUR TINANA: Body Image & Hauora
Care Before Burnout: Supporting Your People to Stay
Here’s a radical idea: what if we looked after people before they burned out? This kōrero cuts through the fluff and brings you practical, honest tools to create a culture where people feel seen, supported, and able to thrive - not just cope. Kristina shares her personal story of burn out, depression and illness and how she overcame this and supported thousands of rangatahi and whanau to do the same.
Care Before Burnout: Supporting Your People to Stay
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The biggest impact that Kristina had was on the team as a whole. We now easily play to eachother's strengths and offer support where we know our colleagues may struggle. This has created a s ... keep reading Nga Rangatahi Toa
Kristina is a true storyteller with magical powers. She wove how she has arrived at this place of kindness with richness and authenticity; she grounded the audience with her wisdom. The magical experience was the guided meditation; the audience was claimed in under 2 minutes to a place of tranquility and serenity. What an experience!
Kristina was AMAZING. She has the most calming presence about her. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed listening to her speak, and would love to work with her again.
Kristina spoke at our 'Upgrade Your Wellbeing' event... Her approach was so warm, engaging, educational and authentic. Kristina's work is far-reaching in its effect and our event was no exception. Simply put, she changed my life as well as many others in the room that night.
