Nau mai, welcome
Learning designed with humans at the centre
Award-winning L&D consultancy based in Aotearoa, working with organisations across NZ and Australia.
Mōku · About
Tēnā koe, I'm Loz
I'm Lauren (Loz) Wootton, a contract Learning & Development Specialist and Change & Communications Professional. Whanake Learning is my trading name, and it's more of a "I can do that, and more…" approach than a traditional agency.
I hold an Honours Degree in Communication Studies and bring experience across public, private, and charity sectors globally, working on everything from ERP systems and compliance training to leadership, te ao Māori, and First Nations capability.
My ability to connect is my superpower. Usually, one meeting is all it takes to figure out if I'm a good fit.
Working with me
Simple, clear, no surprises
Kōrero
Start with a free discovery session
I'll book a session and we'll have a robust kōrero about what you're looking for. We'll see what sparks, what ideas come up, and whether Whanake Learning fits. I can brief you on process, design and the costs involved with no obligation — just honest advice with a healthy dose of nerdy enthusiasm.
Book your free sessionWhat I do
A full stretch of L&D
Clients I've worked with
Internationally experienced across public, private, and charity sectors in NZ and Australia.
Tōku ingoa · My name and values
Whanake · growth, rising, development
The name Whanake was chosen to reflect the values at the heart of my kaupapa. In te reo Māori, whanake carries rich layers of meaning: upward growth, rising, and development. It is also one of the many names for the tī kōuka, the cabbage tree that inspires our logo.
Mārama
Clarity and transparency in everything I do. No hidden fees, no fine print, no clipped tickets.
Tūhononga
Connection is at the heart of how I grow. I nurture every relationship, staying accessible and open to feedback.
Whakamana
Empowerment is the foundation of my mahi. You guide the journey, and I'm here to support, uplift, and walk alongside you.
Mātauranga
I honour knowledge in all its forms, acknowledging tangata whenua and uplifting mātauranga Māori with deep respect.
What people say
Testimonials
Loz impressed us from the first coffee! In her work with the Learning Support Programme, she consistently demonstrated vision and practical delivery, building learning solutions we didn't know possible. She gains a deep understanding of organisational context and learner need, ensuring her work is purposeful and aligned to real outcomes.
Loz transforms content into accessible, engaging, and inclusive learning experiences. From honouring te ao Māori and fostering our uniquely Māori way of understanding ako in real time, she has taken our community learning principles and presented a digital solution that meets our accessibility needs and enriches the learner journey.
Loz translated a complex, multifaceted role into a clear, structured learning framework grounded in measurable competencies and aligned to adult learning best-practice. The explicit design for the LSC role — in both content and a flexible, accessible e-learning approach — is an example of innovative, system-wide learning design with real benefit to the sector.
Loz developed and delivered a professional learning and development matrix for Learning Support Coordinators, coordinating module development with the end user always in mind. Her focus on adult learning capabilities and tailored L&D shone through every part of the journey. She communicates with enthusiasm, skill and deep knowledge.
New from Whanake Learning
Introducing Scenario
I built Scenario because I realised how much time I was spending re-prompting AI every time my scenarios broke halfway through. In my head, there was more than a chat with an AI agent, there was an entire decision tree and flowchart that I - and my clients - needed to be able to visualise.
Scenario-based learning is one of the most powerful tools we have as learning designers. But building scenarios that actually work is hard. The branching can fall into incoherence, or the options end up too obvious.
So I built something better. Scenario asks the same questions I'd ask as a learning designer, about your learners, your context, what could go wrong, what good actually looks like, and uses that to build a decision tree that holds together. The AI is grounded in real instructional design principles, not just pattern-matching from the internet.
It saves time, ironing out the kinks and producing scenarios worth using.
One free scenario to try it. $9/month after that.
No credit card required for your free scenario.
Get in touch
Let's kōrero
Ready to talk about your learning needs? Book a free Discovery session. No obligation, no surprises.
Get in touch