James is a tribal leader and descendant of the Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Awa, Tuhoe and Te Whakatōhea tribes of Aotearoa New Zealand. His formal academic qualifications include a Masters of Law (Honors) and a Doctor of Philosophy in organisational psychology.  He has formerly practiced as a lawyer in commercial and environmental law, and an academic researcher in indigenous governance and development. James is currently a thought leader and consultant to tribal, government and corporate entities in wellbeing-centred leadership and strategy.

For over a decade, James has drawn on his professional background to inform his international training in family and organisational constellations. He integrates indigenous knowledge and traditions with systemic constellation theory and practice. His primary frame is an indigenous conception of wellbeing that locates spirit at ‘the centre’ of the interconnection between people and the environment.

James works at ‘the interface’ specialising in supporting indigenous and Māori collectives to ‘come together’ with government, corporates, and NGOs. In Aotearoa New Zealand, James has applied his distinctive constellation approach to support national tribal collectives to collaborate with government departments, including the Office of the Prime Minister, the New Zealand Treasury, and the Ministry for the Environment.