Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck
Assistant Pro Vice Chancellor Pacific
Auckland University of Technology
Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck is an Aotearoa-based visual artist, educator, and doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland whose research centres Indigenous knowledge, cultural identity, and equity in education. Of Tongan heritage from ‘Utungake and Tu’anuku, Vava’u, and European descent, she was the first woman of Tongan ancestry to graduate from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1995. Over three decades, her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in significant public collections.
Currently Assistant Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific at Auckland University of Technology, Dagmar leads from values grounded in relational accountability, cultural integrity, and community responsibility. Her work brings together creative inquiry, practice-led scholarship, and advocacy, contributing to intergenerational leadership and strengthening the presence of Moana worldviews in institutional spaces.
SESSIONS
DAY 1
3:35
Cultural Safety & Real Allyship in Aotearoa
Exploring what cultural safety means in Aotearoa today. This session moves beyond performative gestures and focuses on leadership accountability. Leaders will examine power, systems, and responsibility, and gain practical ways to embed genuine allyship that honours Te Tiriti, Pacific identities, and lived experience
Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck, Assistant Pro Vice Chancellor Pacific, Auckland University of Technology
DAY 1
4:05
Champions Q&A Panel: Building Inclusive Cultures through Intersectional Allyship
Where is allyship still performative in our organisations, and what would real accountability look like?
How can leaders actively sponsor diverse talent rather than simply support it?
What daily leadership behaviors build genuine belonging and psychological safety?
How do we design inclusion strategies that respond to intersecting identities, not just single categories?
Dagmar Vaikalafi Dyck, Assistant Pro Vice Chancellor Pacific, Auckland University of Technology
Peter Reidy, Chief Executive Officer, KiwiRail
Lizzi Whaley, Chief Executive Officer, Spaceworks Interior Architecture