I am Niyaaz. I am a father, a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle. I am a community worker, a runner, a cricketer, a footballer, a martial artist and a coach; and I love helping people thrive.

In my experience in workplaces, in community settings, on sports fields and at the dojo, I've found that there are too many people living within themselves, holding back and not achieving their full potential. I’ve seen people put aside their values to fit into the mold society has placed on them and, as a result, they’ve limited themselves either by what's in their heads or what they've been taught to believe.

One of my strongest values is appreciation or, put differently, recognising value or worth. One of my primary strengths is responsibility. Together, these drive me to do the work I do.

I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, the youngest of five children. After emigrating to New Zealand in 2004, my heart now lies both in Cape Town and Wellington. I started my career in the private sector back in South Africa and spent 19 years in the New Zealand public service initially in a variety of analytical and strategic roles, and subsequently in a series of leadership and managerial ones.

I have been coaching for over 20 years; even before I knew it was called coaching. It's been a calling since I first picked up John Maxwell's Developing the Leader Within You and then Developing the Leaders Around You back in the late '90s. Much later, in 2021, that earlier influence inspired me to become a member of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team, the fastest growing leadership organisation in the world.

My focus now is on working alongside individuals, teams, organisations and communities to identify strengths, unlock potential, experience growth, and deliver sustainable results.