Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Kakepuku te maunga
Ko Waipā te awa
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi
Ko Ngāti Ruapuha Uekaha, ko Ngāti Urunumia, ko Ngāti Apakura ngā hapū
Tihei, mauriora

Kia ora, greetings,

My name is Kaya,

I am a Candidate for Certification as a Trainer in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). I have been studying and practicing NVC consistently since attending my first International Intensive Training (IIT) in 2023, an experience that profoundly shifted my relationship to myself and others.

I am part of the organising team for the IIT, Aotearoa 2026, because my first IIT experience restored my hope that authentic connection across differences is truly possible. My earliest understanding of radical nonviolence came through learning about the Parihaka movement in Aotearoa, New Zealand, which strongly influenced my commitment to finding alternative approaches to conflict and social change. NVC offers a practical framework, community and philosophy which I practice and live everyday.
I am committed to contributing to this IIT because I believe deeply in the healing and connective power of NVC, in representing and supporting my own Māori community, and in shaping the culture and world that I want to exist for my mokopuna (grandchildren).

I was drawn to NVC through a deep concern for division and suffering in the world. From my experience with NVC, healing is possible through self-connection, radical self-responsibility, and the capacity to remain in connection with others across differences.

My primary interests include social change, needs-based therapeutic approaches, and exploring the relationship between NVC consciousness and the Dharma. I primarily use NVC to support in daily life and I am working toward offering individual and group NVC education. I integrate NVC with lived experiences from applied neurology, trauma-informed perspectives, tikanga Māori, and metabolic health.

My role as an organiser and candidate for certification represents a public commitment to deepening my courage, compassion, and skills for the benefit of all living beings.