Ti Kouka Consulting
Ti Kouka Consulting is the GST-registered entity established by Graeme Nicholas to contract services in systems and strategic thinking, advanced facilitation and professional development. Ti Kouka Consulting establishes teams with other experts when a project calls for this.
Graeme Nicholas
Graeme is a social systems consultant and researcher. Prior to 2019 he was a senior social systems researcher for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). He blends his degree in microbiology with postgraduate study in theology, practice as an Anglican priest, training in psychotherapy, and self-directed learning in organisation development, social systems and complexity.
He is an experience practitioner of collaborative sense-making, soft systems and open space engagement methodologies. He is the lead developer of innovative approaches to support collaborative processes.
Graeme's experience includes:
leading research projects for Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, NZ Police, the Ministry of Health, Environment Southland, Canterbury DHB, Capital and Coast DHB and Fire and Emergency NZ
major contributor to research projects for the Glenn Inquiry into family violence, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, Environment Canterbury and Ministry for Primary Innovation
design and facilitation of professional development opportunities, stakeholder and community engagement and organisational strategic thinking - recent clients have included Tasman Area Community Association, Lincoln University, Cynefin Centre New Zealand, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Environment Southland, and Christian World Service
mentoring and professional supervision
Graeme brings to his projects unconventional thinking, a creative and analytical mind, company governance experience, professional research experience and specialist training in facilitation and counselling.
Over the last twenty years, Graeme and his wife, Barbara, developed and managed a commercial walnut orchard and helped establish the walnut industry in NZ.
Selected publications
Nicholas, G. (2022). Getting to practical: Complementarity between critical systems thinking and phronetic social science. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2880
Available here
Tanyitiku, M. N., Nicholas, G., Sullivan, J. J., Njombissie Petcheu, I. C., & On, S. L. W. (2022). Snail Meat Consumption in Buea, Cameroon: The Methodological Challenges in Exploring Its Public Health Risks. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21, 16094069221078132. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221078132
Nicholas, G. (Ed.). (2022). Enabling collaborative practices. Wellington, New Zealand: Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited.
Available here
Nicholas, G., Hepi, M., & Duncan, W. (2022). Enabling collaborative practice: A practical model. In G. Nicholas (Ed.), Enabling collaborative practices. Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited.
Available here
Nicholas, G. (2021). Critical systems tools to support collaborative practice. 65th Annual Proceedings for the International Society of the Systems Sciences, 65. https://journals.isss.org/index.php/jisss/article/view/3870/1184
Hepi, M., & Nicholas, G. (2021). Testing the Collective Action Model to Lifestyle Block Owners Fire Reduction Activities (Client Report for Fire and Emergency New Zealand No. CSC21002). Institute of Enironmental Science and Research Limited.
Nicholas, G., Sharma, S., Walton, M., Hepi, M., & Hide, S. (2021). Critical collaboration model: An enhanced model to support public health collaboration. Health Promotion International, daab075. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daab075
See Accepted Manuscript and Figure
Nicholas, G., & Foote, J. (2021). Interpreting practice: Producing practical wisdom from qualitative study of practitioner experience. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. DOI:10.1080/13645579.2020.1799635.
Nicholas, G., Srinivasan, M., Beechener, S., Foote, J., Robson-Williams, M., & FitzHerbert, S. (2020). Transferring the impacts of pilot-scale studies to other scales: Understanding the role of non-biophysical factors using field-based irrigation studies. Agricultural Water Management, 233, 106075. DOI:10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106075
Nicholas, G., Foote, J., Kainz, K., Midgley, G., Prager, K., & Zurbriggen, C. (2019). Towards a heart and soul for co-creative research practice: A systemic approach. Evidence & Policy, 15(3), 353–370. https://doi.org/10.1332/174426419X15578220630571
Duncan, R., Robson-Williams, M., Nicholas, G., Turner, J., Smith, R., & Diprose, D. (2018). Transformation Is ‘Experienced, Not Delivered’: Insights from Grounding the Discourse in Practice to Inform Policy and Theory. Sustainability, 10(9), 3177. https://doi.org/doi:10.3390/su10093177
Robson, M., Bammer, G., Barker, P., Foote, J., Greenhalgh, S., Haremate, G., Lauder, G., et al. (2017). The Collaboration Lab: The transformative role of collaboration in managing our land and water. In L. D. Currie & M. J. Hedley (Eds.), Science and policy: Nutrient management challenges for the next generation, Occasional Report 30 (pp. 1–12). Palmerston North: Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre, Massey University. Retrieved from http://flrc.massey.ac.nz/publications.html
Turner, J. A., Williams, T., Nicholas, G., Foote, J., Rijswijk, K., Barnard, T., Beechener, S., et al. (2017). Triggering system innovation in agricultural innovation systems: Initial insights from a community for change in New Zealand. Outlook on Agriculture, 46(2), 125–130.
Nicholas, G., & Foote, J. (2017). Foundations for increasing the provision of Opioid Substitution Treatment in primary healthcare settings in the Wellington region (Client Report No. CSC 16001). Christchurch: Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Nicholas, G., & Tua Taueetia-Su’a. (2016). Understanding the client-service engagement in social service provision: The Q-nique case study (Client Report). Christchurch: Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited.
Foote, J., Finsterwalder, J., Frost, A., Nicholas, G., Baker, V., Carswell, S., Hepi, M., et al. (2015). Improving engagement with social services: A service ecosystems approach. Te Awatea Review, 12(1), 21–23.
Foote, J., Taylor, A., Nicholas, G., Carswell, S., Wood, D., Winstanley, A., & Hepi, M. (2014). Toward a transformed system to address child abuse and family violence in New Zealand (Client report for the Glenn Inquiry No. CSC 14006). Christchurch: Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Nicholas, G., Foote, J., Taylor, A., Carswell, S., Wood, D., Winstanley, A., & Hepi, M. (2014). Getting it together: A transformed system to reduce family violence and child abuse and neglect in New Zealand (A summary report to The Glenn Inquiry). Wellington: Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited.
Nicholas, G., & Foote, J. (2012). A Service System Review of Opioid Substitution Treatment through Pegasus Health and the Mount Medical Centre (Client Report No. FW12003). Christchurch: Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited.
See more of Graeme's research on ResearchGate and Orcid