Tech Waka Podcast
Episodes
27% More Productive or Just Working Weekends? The Real Impact of AI on Dev Teams with Lauren Peate
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lauren Peate and her team at Multitudes spent 15 months researching how AI is actually impacting engineering teams, following 500+ developers, surveyi...
What CTOs Need Help With - with Daniel Walters
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Walters is a consultant, CTO coach, and former CTO of Seek Asia - one of Southeast Asia's largest job platforms. He is the founder of Great...
Stop Scaling Functions, Start Scaling the Journey with Sarah Clearwater
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why are your teams busy, but the business isn't growing the way it should? Sarah Clearwater, founder of Reframer and customer experience strategist, e...
Are NZ leaders underrated? with Paul Meyrick and Stuart Collins
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes it feels like senior leadership in New Zealand tech isn’t recognised at the level it should be , especially when big roles come up, and de...
From Episodes to Ecosystem: Tech Waka Year Two
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a little different. Instead of a guest, I’m taking a moment to reflect on Tech Waka’s second year — and how it grew from a podca...
High-Stakes Transformations with Allan Sampson
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Transformations don’t fail because of slide decks – they fail in the messy middle, where people are stressed, alignment drifts, and hard problems ...
From IC to Leader (and Back Again): Owning Your Career Path with Craig Bensemann
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a retro actually useful—and why do so many senior devs stall out? Craig Bensemann brings sharp insights and real-world fixes.Too many tea...
1 in 4 Users Left Out? Why Accessibility Is a Tech Leadership Issue with Maia Miller
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
1 in 4 New Zealanders live with a disability. Maia Miller says it’s time our tech reflected that, and she shows how leaders can start today.In this ...
From Outsider to Security Founder with Ankita Dhakar
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From no tech background to leading a cybersecurity startup — Ankita Dhakar is reshaping how NZ does pentesting.What happens when you have no tech ba...
BEACON - The off-site NZ tech leaders need with Andrea Magnorsky
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrea Magnorsky joins Jakub to pull back the curtain on BEACON — a tech leadership off-site in Auckland on Mon 13 October 2025. Morning: six 20-min...
Half-Year Check-In: What We Built Together at Tech Waka
09 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A mid-year pit stop for Tech Waka. In this short solo episode, Jakub wraps the first ten episodes and what the community built together—mentoring, m...
It’s OK Not to Be OK: Mental Health and Leadership in Tech with Diego Nievas
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this deeply honest episode of the Tech Waka Podcast, Diego Nievas, CTO at Atturra, opens up about mental health in the tech industry — from perso...
Mentorship Power: Real Stories from the Tech Waka Community
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
episodeWhat happens when you give experienced mentors and ambitious tech professionals a space to connect, reflect, and grow together? In this episode...
How Summer of Tech is Changing Tech Careers in New Zealand with Ruth McDavitt
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Tech Waka, host Jakub Jurkiewicz sits down with Ruth McDavitt, CEO of Summer of Tech — the platform that’s been helping thousan...
Shadow AI: The Invisible Risk Already Shaping Your Business, with Ben Mosier
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shadow AI is already in your organization — but can you see it?In this special Tech Waka episode, we share a live recording from a recent Tech Waka ...
The Hidden Value of Delay with Joshua Arnold
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Tech Waka, we sit down with Joshua Arnold, a seasoned product and technology leader who’s worked across the UK, Europe, and New Z...
The Hierarchy of Engineering Needs with Myles Henaghan
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do high-performing engineering teams really need to thrive?In this episode, I talk with Myles Henaghan, Managing Director at Wires Uncrossed and ...
All of Us Are Scientists: Clarissa Côrtes Pires on the art and science of Decision Making
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka Podcast, host Jakub sits down with Clarissa Côrtes Pires, Decision Science Capability Lead at Mercury NZ, to explore...
The Mentorship Advantage: Building Better Tech Leaders with Saif Ali
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Tech Waka, we talk with Saif Ali, Engineering Manager at Gentrack, about his fascinating transition from developer to people leader...
America’s Cup: Teamwork, Tech, and Tough Decisions with Brad Terpstra
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Brad Terpstra shares his fascinating journey from managing IT for American Magic during the America's Cup in Auckland to leading ...
The Tech Waka Mentorship Program
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership in tech is tough, but you don’t have to do it alone. In this episode, we introduce the Tech Waka Mentoring Program—a 5-month journey co...
Celebrating 20 Episodes: Reflections, Milestones, and What’s Next for Tech Waka
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Jakub as he celebrates 20 episodes of the Tech Waka podcast, reflecting on milestones, guest insights, and plans for 2025.
Systems Thinking, AI, and Innovation with Annie Vella
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka Podcast, I sit down with Annie Vella, Distinguished Engineer at Westpac, to explore the intersection of systems think...
From Individual Contributor to CTO: Chris Bertram's Leadership Journey
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode #18, Chris Bertram shares his inspiring journey from a long tenure at Gentrack to stepping into a new industry and role as CTO at Fuse IT. ...
Legacy Tech, M&A, and SaaS Transformation: Lessons from Jan Behrens
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka podcast, we sit down with Jan Behrens, CTO at Devoli, to explore the intersection of technology and business leadersh...
Mastering Strategic Choices: A Deep Dive into Strategy with Gareth Ward
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
n this episode of the Tech Waka podcast, I sit down with strategy specialist Gareth Ward to explore the intricacies of strategic thinking and executio...
Navigating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Tech: Insights from Fred Laury
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka podcast, we chat with Fred Laury, the newly appointed Executive GM at Xero. Fred shares his journey from France to N...
Leading with Purpose with Edwin Monk-Fromont
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka Podcast, Edwin Monk-Fromont, an experienced technical leader, shares his insights on leading a purpose-driven organiz...
Scaling Success with Alex Henderson
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka podcast, we interview Alex Henderson, an experienced technical leader, to uncover insights from his extensive career ...
Coaching Habit - Transforming Your Tech Leadership
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of TechWaka, we explore the transformative power of coaching in technology leadership. We review Michael Bungay Stanier's "...
Mastering the CTO Role: Insights from Martin Wildash
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this TechWaka podcast episode, we interview Martin Wildash, who delves into the complexities and responsibilities of a Chief Technology Officer (CT...
Leadership Principles with David Corbett
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Tech Waka podcast, we talk with David Corbett, COO of Timecloud. We discuss David's journey and insights into improving lea...
From Curiosity to Leadership: Blueprint for Women in Tech with Chardi Taylor
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this Tech Waka podcast episode featuring Chardi Taylor, a product leader, we explore several key themes: Chardi's Path: From childhood curios...
How Autonomy and Accountability Fuel Success with Cara Fonseca-Ensor
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode with Cara Fonseca-Ensor, we explore key themes around fostering a successful team environment: The Balance Between Autonomy and Acco...
From Fashion Design to Tech Leadership: Wendy Stevenson-Vrame's Inspiring Journey
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the TechWaka podcast, we welcome Wendy Stevenson-Vrame, Engineering Manager at TradeMe. Our conversation was about: Career Journe...
From Music to Tech Leadership with Rachel Collingridge
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the TechWaka podcast, Jakub sits down with Rachel Collingridge, Head of Engineering at Totara, to discuss the symphony of leadershi...
Celebrating Women Leaders in New Zealand Tech
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of Tech Waka, we honour International Women's Day by spotlighting the incredible achievements of female leaders in New Zea...
Navigating Trade-offs and leading with imperfection with Colin Bowern
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the TechWaka podcast, we welcome Colin Bowern, Senior Vice President of Product at Octopus Deploy, to share his vast experiences an...
Diversity, inclusion and triathlon with Anna Cupples
18 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of the TechWaka podcast features the journey of Anna Cupples, Head of Engineering at Trade Me and an accomplished triathlete. The conver...
Models with Gareth Cronin
10 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode #2 of the TechWaka podcast, we welcome Gareth Cronin, a legend in New Zealand's technology scene. Gareth, known for his role in growing...
Launching Our Waka: Hopes and fears of the unknowns
10 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is us launching the Tech Waka Podcast, where we explore the journeys of New Zealand Tech Leaders. In this episode, we dive into the why behind th...