The Culturally Intelligent Safety Professional

A rich and thought-provoking kōrero with Vance Walker — a returning guest and a true thought leader in integrating Māori culture with health and safety practices.

In this episode, we explored how cultural intelligence can evolve from an academic concept into a powerful, data-driven tool for real-world change, particularly through the Me Mataara project. Vance's work is pushing boundaries, not just in terms of reducing injuries ...

What a conversation, huge thanks again to Jodhi Warwick-Ponga for joining us, and for bringing such grounded, powerful insights into the space.

There are a few key takeaways I want to highlight. 

First — that idea of diversity as a dynamic resource. Jodhi reminded us that every person brings something unique to the table, and when we embrace that, we open the door to creativity, innovation, and more effective decision-making.

Second —...

Cultural Intelligence & Workplace Safety: Why It Matters More Than Ever 

In health and safety, we often focus on compliance, technical skills, and risk management. But what about cultural intelligence (CQ)—the ability to adapt and connect across cultural differences? In this episode, I had an insightful conversation with Hema Puthran, a seasoned health and safety professional, about how cultural intelligence plays a critical rol...

Briar emphasizes the importance of indigenous wisdom in shaping personal wellbeing and workplace safety. She drew from Māori perspectives and her study of rongoā (traditional healing) to highlight how reconnecting with Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) fosters resilience and mental strength. The idea that healthy people lead to safer workplaces is central—wellbeing isn’t just a “nice-to-have” but a foundation for safety and productivity.

B...

Simonne's insights reveal the importance of inclusive practices in the workplace, particularly in health and safety roles, where clear communication and understanding are critical. By embracing diverse perspectives, safety professionals can create environments that empower individuals to perform at their best, regardless of their gender, background, or neurodiverse status.

Key Takeaways:

1. Dyslexia as a Superpower: Simonne des...

An intriguing conversation with Jono as we dove into his rich experiences in the military and his transition to civilian life as a health and safety advisor. The conversation covered the evolution of safety practices, the importance of cultural intelligence, and the significance of effective communication and adaptive leadership in diverse environments. Here are my takeaways,

 Cultural Intelligence is Crucial: Learning the local lan...

The Culturally Intelligent Safety Professional is back for season 2 with a great line up of guests from New Zealand and around the world. In episode 1 we talk again to crowd favourite Jodhi Warwick Ponga about enhancing cultural intelligence through a Māori lens. 

Our conversation focused on how individual leadership and behavior can promote cultural intelligence within an organization. As we know, leadership is a series o...

In this session, we explored episodes four, eight, and 15, focusing on Māori and Pacifica culture in workplace safety.

Episode 4: Vance Walker discusses the importance of cultural intelligence in health and safety, particularly when working with Māori communities. He introduced his project, Kia Tupato, aimed at fostering cautious behavior over traditional safety protocols. Vance highlighted the need for effective communication roote...

In this second looking back episode we reflect on the practical insights and strategies offered by our guests for improving cultural awareness and adaptation. From episode 2 we reflect on the discussion with Chris Peace who highlights communication mishaps due to cultural misunderstandings and adapting teaching methods for international students. Chris advocated for including CQ in health and safety curricula to improve stakeholder...

In this episode of the Culturally Intelligent Safety Professional we take a look back at episodes 1 & 14 of season 1. 

In Episode 1, I spoke with Shireen Chua about leadership's role in fostering inclusivity. Shireen emphasized the importance of leaders modeling inclusive behaviors and cultivating curiosity and reflection to develop CQ. She highlighted that CQ is not a one-time project but a continuous practice.

In Episode 1...

Jodhi Warwick Ponga, a trustee of Te Ropu Marutau o Aotearoa, discussed her career and involvement in health and safety, alongside her role at Vertical Horizons. She began with a diverse background in engraving, signwriting, and screen printing before transitioning to health and safety through roles in a software company managing 20,000 workers across New Zealand and Australia. Her journey led to consultancy and eventually to her c...

Who would have thought I would get to meet and speak with Dr. Catherine Wu, and in her adopted city of Singapore. An expert in cultural intelligence Catherine, shared her journey from a small village in France to teaching in Asia. She emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural values and how they impact interactions in diverse environments.

In our short time together we covered a number of Key aspects related to CQ includin...

Once again on the Culturally Intelligent Safety Professional we have connected with a fabulous guest from Aotearoa’s great west Island of Australia and we are talking FR&NKly with Rick Fox from Health and Safety consultancy FR&NK. Rick is a proud First Nations man from the Wiradjuri mob in Central West NSW. 

Rick shares his diverse background and experiences in various sectors including state government, local government, an...

This week on the Culturally Intelligent Safety Professional we talk to Deborah Rhodes, Deborah is a Dairy Farmer, award winning academic and health and safety advocate. Deborah talks to us about Mission Orientated Research which she suggests as a way to achieve goals. 

We discuss the risk profile of a farming environment something Deborah came to later in life after a career as a nurse and working in pharmaceuticals. During the disc...

This week I chat with Mike Styles and explore more in the world of neurodiversity, this time again we focus on dyslexia. Mike has been working in this area for 20 years and comes with a wealth of knowledge about the experiences of dyslexic people. We cover what dyslexia is and the various other forms of brain wiring linked to this particular form of neurodiversity.

We discuss the tech available to assist people to become more includ...

This week we spend some time talking with Janes Fowles who works in the Dairy Sector in Mid Canterbury. 

As a result of her research as part of the Kellogg's Leadership Programme Jane has developed a greater understanding of what it means to be culturally intelligent. It was great to hear Jane talk about what she learnt about cultural intelligence during her studies. Her willingness to listen to some of the stories an...

In this episode we head East and explore Asian Cultural Values and how they might impact on migrant workforce health and safety experiences, knowledge and outcomes. 

Our guest is Michelle Wu who is a Health and Safety Professional with Advanced Safety and founder of the Asian Business Health, Safety and Environmental Network which is a not for profit organisation which aims to break down cultural barriers to promote a stro...

In this episode we hear some really honest stories from someone who has guided people through difficult times in their lives whether that be through needing welfare assistance or have ended up in the prison system and now as someone who is passionate about the Pacifika community helping them improve their workplace safety outcomes. 

Afele Paea jumped straight into the deep end at 18 years old when he started working for Work and Inc...

In todays episode we have an insightful discussion with someone who has experience as both a health and safety professional and neurodiversity. Tom  Jones (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-jones-79052187/) shares some real insights into how we can be more inclusive of dyslexic thinkers in the work we do.

Tom talked about starting out in his creative career in digital media having known a little bit about his different approach to ...