Building pathways between two worlds

Dan Te Whenua Walker (Ngāti Ruanui), grew up in Christchurch a child of two worlds – te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā. Not feeling connected with either, he pulled away from school and found himself on a destructive path that he believes would have led him to prison.

What changed his direction was the intervention and steady influence of his two grandmothers, Te Rau o Te Huia Taranaki and Joyce Walker who were there for him when he was struggling.

“I’m the outcome of two amazing nanas. Those two strong women brought me through the toughest times,” says Dan.

“I was about 18 before I actually started to feel proud of being Māori, and started learning about my history, who my ancestors were, and this beautiful culture that had been hidden from me.”

That new sense of identity became the foundation for Dan’s remarkable career, which began in retail sales with Dick Smith where he discovered an instinctive ability to connect to people.

He worked his way up to become national sales manager for Dick Smith, going on to high profile brands including Noel Leeming, Samsung and Dell Technologies.

Seven years ago, Dan joined Microsoft to help grow its Cloud business and today, he is a senior partner development manager within Global Partner Solutions, working across Australia and New Zealand, but his impact inside the company extends well beyond his official role.

Early on, Dan discovered that, of more than 200,000 Microsoft employees around the world, he was one of just two Māori. “It was an environment where I felt quite mokemoke, or alone.”

To change that, Dan created Te Pou Whirinaki o ngā Mātāpono, Microsoft’s New Zealand values.

“That put my name on the map and connected me with others with the company from otherIndigenous cultures.

In August 2020 those conversations became ‘Indigenous at Microsoft’, an employee resource group (ERG), with the goal, says Dan, of “honouring, sharing and celebrating Indigenous cultures across the globe and within Microsoft, while building inclusive technologies for future generations”.

What started as 40 Microsoft employees globally has grown to 5,000, with a board co-chaired by Dan, and millions invested into Indigenous-focused products and platforms.

“We've built amazing things like Māori Minecraft which has been downloaded by thousands globally. We created the Aotearoa Microsoft keyboard with Māori macrons launched with Microsoft 11. That's been my baby and more than 300,000 people globally use it, so I feel very proud of that.”

For Dan, one of the other important successes is that Microsoft now has 14 Māori employees in New Zealand, and more scattered around the world.

“We’ve created a space where, when Māori come in, they don’t feel so alone. There’s a community.”

Too often, he says, organisations focus on recruitment without addressing culture.

“You can’t just bring in Māori and expect them to stay if the environment doesn’t support them. As my mentor once told me, we need to culturalise commerce, not commercialise culture.”

All of this work has been accomplished outside of Dan’s official day-job at Microsoft, but, he says, giving back to his culture and the community in general is a core part of his work ethic.

He serves in different roles with all five of his iwi:Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Ruahine, Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa, Tūhourangi, Te Atiawa and Maniapoto, as well as past and present board and directorship roles with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, NZ Māori Tourism, Whangaparāoa College and the Child Cancer Foundation.

He also continues to invest in the next generation. Through his involvement with the University of Auckland Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's Kurutao Entrepreneurial Leaders Expedition, Dan hosts students at Microsoft, offering them a glimpse of what a career in technology can look like through a te ao Māori lens.

“I'm a bridge for those who want to access te ao Māori, but also for Māori to access te ao Pākehā. I've reached a stage in my career where I can bring authenticity. Once you bring that in a way that’s authentic, people want you to bring it into every aspect of the work environment.”

Dan also completed an MBA from the University of Auckland in 2011 and another masters in Advanced Leadership Practice. He has also won multiple NZ Leadership Awards, and the 'Be the Vision' Leadership Award for Microsoft.

It’s an impressive CV for someone who didn’t like school. “I am much stronger in being who I am and accepting who I am. The 18-year-old Dan wouldn’t believe where I am now.

“As a society we need to let those young Māori who feel disconnected know they have mana and a place. Technology does have a role to play in helping them find their potential.

“When they see a Māori Xbox logo and Māori games, it helps them see themselves in these spaces. I want to clear barriers for them, but I think the most important thing I can do is just show them it can be done. If I can do it with my background, any of them can do it.”