Dan Te Whenua Walker

Dan Te Whenua Walker, Global Co-Chair of Indigenous at Microsoft 

Dan Walker has tribal affiliations to Tangahoe, Ngati Ruanui, Nga Ruahinerangi, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Te Atiawa, Maniapoto, Tuhourangi and Pakeha. He is a mokopuna of the great freedom fighter Titokowaru and wahine leader Ruaputahanga. 

He was privileged to be nurtured under the manaakitanga of Kaai Tahu iwi for over 25 years of his life in Otautahi and Dan currently lives in, and pays respect to, the whenua lands of Ngati Manuhiri in Stanmore Bay Auckland with his wife Michelle and their three tamariki Josh, Tyler and Maia. Dan is Global Co-Chair of Indigenous at Microsoft where he is focused on supporting Indigenous empowerment wherever Microsoft is and raising the Indigenous voice in technology globally. He works as a Channel Executive across Australia and NZ looking after Partners and Cloud Solutions at Microsoft. 

Through the help of his whanau, his elders and his tribal teachers, Dan has learned much of his Māori cultural wisdom through the 15+ years of service to his iwi tribe Ngati Ruanui. His experiences shaped his belief that Indigenous wisdom is for everyone, and we need to reclaim this wisdom that has been handed down to us. His Masters degree was about tikanga Maori ki te ao matihiko – Maori values as a framework for digital leadership. This journey led him down interviews with Indigenous leaders from around the world about Indigenous wisdom from a digital context. Dan will discuss some of these Indigenous approaches to technology and how Māori are starting to collaborate with modern legal and corporate frameworks for true long-term inter-generational change for our future.

Dan is the Deputy Chair of NZ Māori Tourism, Pou Tuara of Te Runanga o Ngati Ruanui, Director of Auckland Unlimited, board member of Child Cancer Foundation and Ronald McDonald House - as well as a variety of community trustee and voluntary roles around the motu. He holds an MBA and a Masters in Advanced Leadership.

Dan was awarded the Young Māori Business Leader of the Year award and the NZ UoA 40 under 40 award last year.”