The quality of life we ultimately enjoy is not determined by what happens to us, but by our attitude towards it and what we decide to do about it
Tawera Nikau is one of New Zealand rugby league’s most respected figures — a leader whose influence extends far beyond the field. Known for his strength of character, cultural grounding, and ability to inspire high performance teams, he brings a rare combination of lived experience, humility, and mana.
After a professional career spanning England and Australia, including a premiership win with the Melbourne Storm, Tawera continues to shape the future of the game. He serves as President of New Zealand Rugby League, Chairman of the Aotearoa Māori Rugby League Board, and a Kiwis selector.
His resilience was put to the ultimate test in 2003 when he had his right leg amputated following a motorbike accident. Refusing to be defined by adversity, he became an ambassador for the Achilles Foundation, completing the New York Marathon three times and the gruelling 100km Oxfam Taupō Trail walker twice.
Tawera’s journey has also led him back to his roots, overseeing the management of his whānau’s farms and deepening his role as Kaitiaki of Te Taiao. Passionate about environmental protection, he has led multiple conservation initiatives and now serves as Co Chair of the Endangered Species Foundation.
In recognition of his impact, Tawera was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby league and the community and named an Emerging Leader by the Sir Peter Blake Trust.
The same determination that made him a sporting champion continues to drive his ability to rebuild, rise, and inspire others. Tawera embodies resilience — a living example of refusing to quit no matter the challenge. An excellent communicator, he connects with people from all walks of life through his authentic, down to earth style.
Talking Points
Building a Winning Culture: Lessons from the Inaugural Melbourne Storm
As a foundation member of the Melbourne Storm, Tawera helped shape the culture that still defines the club today. He shares the principles, behaviours, and standards that built one of the most successful organisations in modern sport. From accountability and trust to clarity of purpose and collective ownership, Tawera breaks down how high performance environments are created — and how they are protected over time. His stories from inside the Storm’s early years offer rare insight into what it takes to build a team that wins consistently, even under pressure.Building a Winning Culture: Lessons from the Inaugural Melbourne Storm
Key Takeaways:
• How to build a culture that drives performance, not the other way around
• The non negotiables of elite teams and how to apply them in any organisation
• Practical tools for strengthening trust, discipline, and shared purpose
• How leaders create environments where people thrive and standards stick
Resilience, Mindset and Overcoming Adversity
Tawera’s story is one of extraordinary resilience — from the devastating loss of his first wife by suicide to the life changing amputation of his right leg following a motorbike accident. In this keynote, he shares the mindset, discipline, and inner work required to rebuild a life when everything familiar has been stripped away. His message goes beyond motivation; it is a practical, grounded exploration of how to stay focused, purposeful, and courageous in the face of overwhelming challenge. Audiences connect deeply with Tawera’s honesty, vulnerability, and ability to turn adversity into strength, service, and leadership.Resilience, Mindset and Overcoming Adversity
Key Takeaways:
• How to build a resilient mindset that holds steady under pressure
• Practical tools for navigating setbacks, uncertainty, and major life disruptions
• The habits and disciplines that drive long term personal and professional strength
• How to reframe adversity into purpose, growth, and renewed direction
Mental Wellbeing and Navigating Personal Loss
This keynote offers a powerful, compassionate look at mental wellbeing through the lens of Tawera’s own lived experience. After the death of his first wife by suicide, Tawera spiralled into grief and emotional collapse — unable to ask for help, and unable to see how deeply he was struggling. It was his coach who recognised the signs and took him to see a counsellor, a moment that became a turning point in his healing. Tawera speaks openly about the realities of grief, identity loss, depression, and the long journey toward rebuilding a life with meaning. His message is deeply human and resonates with anyone facing pressure, loss, or emotional strain — and with leaders who want to better support their people.Mental Wellbeing and Navigating Personal Loss
Key Takeaways
• A real understanding of what mental distress can look like — even in strong, high performing people
• Why leaders, teammates, and whānau must learn to recognise when someone isn’t coping
• The strength in accepting help, even when you can’t ask for it
• Practical strategies for supporting mental wellbeing in yourself and others
• How to create environments where people feel seen, safe, and supported through challenge
Workshop: Law of Constraints & Power of Perspectives
Many people do not move forward because they fundamentally need a mind shift. In order to take the workforce to a place where they understand this, it is first necessary to allow them to understand that old ways of thinking (aka: lens scratches') are not helpful to creating the new future. If we hang on to old thinking (and old grudges, antagonisms etc.), we create a self-filling prophecy around our miss-beliefs. Managers cannot load new information onto old lens scratches it will just be filtered through the scratches and dismissed through active or passive resistance to new initiatives. This programme delivers the mind shift. Workshop: Law of Constraints & Power of Perspectives
Outcomes:
¢ Examine previous assumptions in a non-threatening way
¢ Recognize which of these assumptions are not helpful to create the future
¢ Deal with and remove old antagonisms, grudges and hurts
¢ Be ready and motivated for new attitudes, learning and skills
¢ Have a sustainable strategy to maintain motivation
Workshop: Life Achievement Matrix
No matter how much talent each person has, most of us tend to plateau around a certain level of performance. This level varies according to the level of talent, but it still creates a glass ceiling that even top achievers struggle to rise above. This powerful module has been used by top achievers and athletes up to the All-Black level as a part of determining what the glass ceiling is, and how to push through it to new levels of achievement. This module is powerful for breaking through both individual and/or collective organizational glass ceilings. Workshop: Life Achievement Matrix
Outcomes:
¢ Understand why it is that they have plateaued (or are in danger of doing so)
¢ Design the level of achievement they want to aspire to
¢ Determine the mix of the four aspects of life that set their ceiling.
¢ Create strategies to break through this mix to higher levels of achievement
¢ Maintain long term insights and motivation to keep growing
Video
Tawera Nikau’s journey through amputation & adversity | Face to Face
Powerful speaker, naturally connected with our audience, was personable, and had everyone on the edge of their seats. Tawerau is strong, sensitive and unforgettable person. Amazing story. ... keep reading Canterbury Registered Master Builders Association
Tawera’s presence at our event was nothing short of inspiring. Despite cancelled flights and a long drive, his determination to be there spoke volumes about his character. His story of resilience, leadership, and overcoming challenges captivated us all. The message he shared—about attitude, perspective, and staying grounded—left a lasting impact. We’re truly grateful for his time, energy, and the wisdom he brought to the room.
Tawera was fantastic. He was entertaining and very engaging for our audience of over 500 dinner attendees. He linked key messages within his performance to elements our CEO had just delivered which was very impressive. I'd highly recommend him!
As always the afternoon "slump" is tricky at a conference. But Tawera lifted our audience, he engaged with them, he made them think, he inspired. We will look to get him back again next year for a different staff event.
Really enjoyed having Tawera attend and speak at our apprentice days. He weaved ATNZ messages about support, resilience and focusing on goals into his story extremely well.
Tawera was an amazing speaker, he was very engaging and his speech was the perfect balance of humor and relevant messaging to our industry. We had comments from several attendees saying how great he was. We don't usually have an after dinner speaker but I think it was definitely a good choice to finish off the conference, we're very happy
Really enjoyed having Tawera speak at our recent function. His stories and experiences covered a wide range of topics from farming, teamwork, leadership and resilience which appealed to all members of our audience. He engaged the crowd and made a point to weave our values into his presentation.
Tawera was amazing. His stories were in line with the event topic and very, very well received.
Tawera's powerful story had our audience so engaged and really hit home the messages we were wanting to convey. He genuinely inspired our team and was a perfect fit for our audience.
Tawera had made the effort to know about our business. His message was on-point, he knew our strategy and values and made a point of weaving this into his stories. His personal stories were extremely raw and so relatable for our audience. I thought he was an inspiration while he brought his mana with him.
Tawera was an absolute pleasure to deal with from the moment he arrived at the venue. He is very humble for an experienced speaker (a breath of fresh air actually). Nothing was an issue and he just went with the flow. Our delegates thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and we are delighted he opened our conference. We would highly recommend him to others.
Tawera has had some amazing experiences and this really captured the interest of our staff. His ability to connect with his audience to get his point across regarding the strength of a team and how this can lead to success was fantastic. I personally enjoyed meeting Tawera and how down to earth and approachable he was.
You could have heard a pin drop from the moment Tawera started speaking. He was so powerful, funny, moving, emotive and entertaining. Every single person in the room could take something from his speech. However, he was so much more than just a speaker. He mingled with all of our guests, from Directors to factory workers and was so incredibly approachable and personable. Everyone loved him and if the right opportunity arose, we'd love to invite him back to other company events.
