The Team at Kokkoi:
Claire Steiner, Learning Resources
Grow Report & Facilitator Training
"I'm passionate about how the Kokkoi Grow Report empowers young people with positive language to express who they are and what matters to them, but also the kind of situations & styles of communication they may struggle with.
​
I had this same data as a high school student and I know how powerful it was in helping me to understand myself and develop greater resilience and others-awareness."
Jon Mason, Director
Birkman Professional Services
"I have always been highly energised by the work I do with leaders and their organisations around the globe, using Birkman data to help people understand themselves and each other, and to reach their individual and shared potential.
But what gets me out of bed in the morning is the opportunity to help young people understand who they are, and recognise what contribution they can make to the world."
Sarah Mason, Senior Consultant
Birkman Certification
"I love facilitating learning and encouraging people to discover their potential. A key role for me is equipping others to use Birkman data, both those working with adults and with young people.
Seeing others get excited about the positive impact this will have is both enjoyable & very satisfying!"
Jon’s family (Scots) on his father’s side arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand from Glasgow in the 1860s, and on his mother’s side (Scots and Viking descent) from Forres in the 1920’s. Jon grew up in Auckland, went to school in Whanganui and studied at University of Auckland for a year before doing his MA at Trinity College Cambridge and, later, his Master of Development Management at Northern Territory University in Darwin.
​
Sarah, meanwhile, (descended from Northerners on one side, and Cornish on the other) grew up in Plymouth in the South-West of England. She studied Psychology at the University of Kent, and later became a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with the BPS.
After a career in training and leadership, Jon and Sarah started their own business in 2000, and for the past 25 years have worked with leaders of global and regional businesses across the globe. They have been based back in NZ since 2020, managing Jon’s mother’s artistic estate while continuing to run their businesses in NZ, the UK and Singapore.
The Journey to Kokkoi
Jon’s Great Grandfather outside his shop, with sign reading 'Archibald Mason', on Taupo Quay, Whanganui in 1872, shortly before he bought land up the Mangawhero River, on what is now the Parapara Road.
​
Credit: Detail of panorama of Wanganui township and the Whanganui River by William James Harding, 1826-1899. Courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.