Lisa Tai’s parents once bought a strip of land in West Auckland with another Fijian family they’d barely met but who happened to share the same last name and were going through the very same stage of life, subdivided it, and built two almost identical houses side by side. The two families lived there together for about twenty years and became family. Host Sarah Wood sits down with Lisa, who spent nearly two decades at Deloitte, rising to partner and establishing the firm’s Pacific Services Group, before stepping away to lead Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand. She talks about arriving in Auckland as a four‑year‑old straight after a coup in Fiji, growing up in a caravan through her first New Zealand winter, and how six months into the top job at an organisation built entirely around giving struggling families a home away from home has only sharpened what home has always meant to her: wherever her family is.
Lisa Tai is a proud Fiji-born New Zealander of Rotuman and Fijian heritage, proudly raised in West Auckland, a place that has deeply shaped her sense of identity, community and home. She is a wife to Junior and mum to Keilani and Kanoa. Lisa spent almost 20 years at Deloitte, including as a Partner, where she established Deloitte’s dedicated Pacific Services Group, focused on creating pathways for young Pacific people to enter, grow and thrive in the corporate world.
After nearly two decades in the Big Four environment, Lisa made the decision to step more deeply into community and social impact. She believes our contribution can look different across the different seasons of our lives, and that sometimes growth means being willing to leave places of comfort and success to serve in new ways.
Lisa is now the Chief Executive of Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand, where she has the privilege of leading an organisation that supports families through some of the most challenging times in their lives. She is passionate about servant leadership, empowering families and young people, creating opportunity, and using leadership to strengthen communities and make a meaningful difference.
Sarah Wood is the Chief Executive Officer of realestate.co.nz, New Zealand's longest-standing property website, which has been helping people find their perfect property since 1996 (even before Google). Since taking the helm in 2019, she has led the organisation through a period of innovation and growth, helping position it as one of New Zealand's leading technology businesses.
If Lisa’s story has stayed with you, Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand relies on donations, fundraising and volunteers to keep families close when a child is in hospital. Find out how to give your time or support at rmhc.org.nz.
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