Carissa Thompson is a Director and Manurautaki of Te Tāniko Toa Whakarite, a kaupapa Māori consultancy supporting organisations, communities and whānau to strengthen cultural capability, leadership and wellbeing.

With a background in nursing, health leadership and management, and an MBA, Carissa brings together experience in health, organisational leadership and kaupapa Māori development. Her work focuses on supporting organisations to move beyond cultural awareness towards meaningful, practical and sustainable change, with a strong emphasis on relationships, leadership and creating environments where Māori perspectives and ways of working are genuinely valued.

Carissa has worked alongside the New Zealand Dental Association on its cultural capability journey, contributing to initiatives including Board development, organisational values, cultural capability planning and the development of values-based learning for the dental profession.

At the heart of her work is a belief that strengthening cultural capability is not a one-off exercise, but an ongoing journey built through relationships, reflection, courage and a willingness to keep learning.