leadership play day

october 2025 - aotearoa tour

Auckland – 9 Oct (SOLD OUT)
Wellington – 17 Oct (a few spots remaining)
Christchurch – 22 Oct (SOLD OUT)

Get your ticket now

Step into the game. Step up your leadership.

Forget boring workshops. This is leadership training reimagined. Three interactive role-playing games designed to challenge, stretch, and sharpen the way you lead.

Each game runs for 2 hours. You can join one, or play all three in a single day and unlock The Leadership Playbook session, where we connect the dots and help you build your own leadership playbook.

P.S. The role-playing we do probably isn’t what you’re thinking. No awkward acting, no standing at the front of the class. It’s simply stepping into a character, making choices in a story, and having fun. Even the shyest people enjoy it - we designed it that way. We promise you’ll like it.

the games

3 games. pick 1, 2 or attend all 3.

the moonlit market

Entrepreneurial mindset for leaders

8:30am - 10:30am

$99

A bustling fantasy marketplace where you’ll need to pitch, trade, and negotiate under pressure. This game helps you build agility, creativity, and bold decision-making — the entrepreneurial qualities every leader needs to navigate change and uncertainty.

the broken bridge

Practising difficult conversations

11am - 1pm

$99

A game where you’ll rehearse difficult conversations that leaders often avoid but in a fantasy context so it’s safe and fun. You’ll build courage, clarity, and the ability to hold space for tension instead of shying away from it.

the inner tides

Building emotional resilience
featuring the emotional culture deck

1:45pm - 3:45pm

$99

A mash-up of role-playing and the Emotional Culture Deck. You’ll practise noticing, naming, and working with emotions — your own and others’ — and leave with stronger emotional resilience and confidence to lead in tough moments.

the leadership playbook

build your leadership playbook

included when you buy the full day ticket ($297)

If you play all three games, you’ll also unlock a 60-minute facilitated debrief at the end of the day.

This is where the learning sticks:

  • Connect the dots across all three games

  • Unlock insights through discussion with other participants

  • Identify practical shifts you can take back to your team immediately

Leave with a personal playbook of insights about how you lead

why you should play

Because leadership isn’t built in theory - it’s built in the messy, uncertain, uncomfortable moments.

These games give you a rare chance to practise those moments before they happen in real life.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Practical skills you can use immediately

  • A clearer understanding of how you show up under pressure

  • Memorable experiences that actually stick

Secure your ticket
Group of diverse people sitting and talking in a modern indoor lounge area with green tiered seating, gray carpet, and wooden wall accents.

Running ‘The Moonlit Market’ at the Global Entrepreneur’s Network NZ Conference 2025

who it’s for

  • Leaders and managers who want more practical development

  • Founders and entrepreneurs navigating uncertainty and growth

  • HR and P&C professionals looking for innovative learning formats

  • Leaders who want to learn together - feel free to bring a few of your leaders in one group to experience this as a group.

No role-playing experience needed - just bring your curiosity.

Want help convincing your boss to pay for it?

We’ve got you! Download our guide for some key points and a sample email.

Convince my boss!
Person signing a dark-colored exploration log book with a black pen on a wooden table, surrounded by photos, colorful tokens, and paper.

what leaders have to say…

  • “This is the most unique, wild, engaging and fun workshop I have ever been to. The experience and the learning will stay with me for a long time.”

    Cordula Plassmann | Coach & Facilitator

  • "I think this is an awesome way to bring leadership teams together. Role playing removes the natural inhibitions from the participants and lets you learn new aspects and perspectives, ultimately bringing you a better understanding of the team you work with as well as yourself. "

    Ed Letifov | TechTime

  • “The game creates a safe and engaging environment to explore leadership strengths and areas for growth. The debrief sessions were especially powerful, offering insights that conventional leadership courses often overlook.”

    Annelies Griemink | Thankyou Payroll

  • "Most people have done at least some of the stock-standard professional development that's out there, so why not try something new? The worst case is *just* having a whole lot of fun, and the best case is that fun sparking deep insights and reflections that help you to be a better leader. It's a win win, I reckon."

    Nicole Skews-Poole | Anchordown

  • “I was super sceptical, having never done anything like this before and it being VERY out of my comfort zone! BUT by the end of session one, I had one of those "ah ha" moments, and I then understood what it was all about! I learned so much about myself that I never knew or realised before.”

    Beckie Coe | Thankyou Payroll

  • "A Quest Within" was incredibly fun and engaging. I gained valuable insights into myself and the leadership skills I want to develop. It also inspired me to take action!

    Wenjing Xie | Snapper

  • "one of the best outcomes of 'A Quest Within' is not only the learning you have for yourself as a leader and your own motivations, but also the way you work as a team. Working in the 'play' space, allows for greater freedom and learning around the way we work together."

    Serena Lawrence | Wellington College

  • "It was very enjoyable to partake in a Quest Within and immensely beneficial to learn and reflect on applying leadership skills in an adventure with my co-workers."

    Participant | Snapper

  • "This is the kind of workshop to attend whether or not you have been to other leadership trainings. It will bring up new ideas and experiences that you wouldn't have been able to tap into before. I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on a leadership workshop that I know I will be referencing to others for months and years to come."

    Victoria Young | Zealandia

  • "I haven't been able to stop thinking about the workshop. I discovered unexpected things about myself, learnt a lot from my fellow adventurers, and it has sparked an interest in and joy for incorporating gameplay into my leadership, but also my day to day life - including parenting!"

    Kelly Hudson | Five and Dime

  • "The journey showed me parts of myself that I'd like to focus on, as well as some comparitive strengths through the reflection process. I highly recommend!"

    Angela Wei | Wētā FX

  • "Seeing how your team members react in a situation free of judgement teaches you a lot about them. It's worth doing for any team."

    Patrick Peters | TechTime

  • "It's refreshed my love of giving specific feedback. Receiving feedback on my gameplay was really helpful for reflection."

    Julie Reddish | Catapult NZ

  • "It's a practical, on the court, safe way to enhance leadership skills"

    Rachel Collingridge | Totara

  • "A Quest Within taught me to be more open and engaged with others, showing me the power of proactive interaction in team settings. I gained insights into how diverse problem-solving approaches can spark creativity. It makes me want to explore how I can continue to build stronger connections and confidently take on new roles."

    Neil Wu | Australian Spatial Analytics

  • "This workshop helped me put words to things I hadn’t fully realised about myself. Since then, I’ve used those insights, and honestly, I’ve seen the results."

    Amy Thomson | The Attention Seeker

  • "one of the best outcomes of 'A Quest Within' is not only the learning you have for yourself as a leader and your own motivations, but also the way you work as a team."

    Serena Lawrence | Wellington College

  • "This game brought a great balance of fun and practical leadership insight. Would happily recommend to other founders and teams."

    Louisa Murray | Whiringa

  • "I recommend this game to anyone who wants to be pushed out of their comfort zone as a leader and maybe find some hidden leadership qualities that you didn't know you had."

    Rachel Wilson | Counted

  • "It wasn’t just a leadership session. It was a moment of connection, reflection, and real growth. Thank you for creating an experience that reminded us leadership is an adventure worth embracing."

    Brooke Walker | The Attention Seeker

Tickets and locations

Auckland

  • Thursday 9 October

  • The Attention Seeker, 37c Crummer Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland

Auckland Tickets (sold out)

wellington

  • Friday 17th October

  • Nairn Street Cottage, 68 Nairn Street, Mount Cook, Wellington 6011

Wellington Tickets

CHRISTCHURCH

  • Wednesday 22nd October

  • Location TBC

Christchurch Tickets (Sold Out)
A person is holding five religious-themed cards with a blurred background of bright lights. The cards feature images and words about faith and inner exploration.

how the day works

  1. We’ll prep all the games ahead of time - taking into consideration the people who sign up.

  2. You show up to the game you buy the ticket for - arrive 10 mins ahead of time, ready to play.

  3. If you are playing the full day with us - bring your lunch (or go out and buy it) but otherwise we have everything you need.

  4. We provide everything you need.

What role-playing looks like here

A lot of people see the words “role-playing” and immediately think of drama class: standing at the front of the room, acting out a scene, maybe even putting on a silly voice. That’s not what we do here, we promise!

At Leadership Treehouse, role-playing is about stepping into a character and making decisions inside a guided story. There’s no performance, no costumes, and no pressure to “be entertaining.” Instead, it’s an easy, structured way to explore leadership challenges in a safe, playful setting.

You’ll get a simple character sheet with a few attributes to guide how your character might behave. Then, as the facilitator narrates a scenario, you just decide what action your character would take and say it out loud.

For example:

  • “Charlie the Wizard would like to attempt to climb the cliff face.”

  • Or just: “I want to climb the cliff face.”

From there, the facilitator might ask you to roll a dice to see if it works, narrate what happens next, and guide the group forward in the story. Your job is simply to choose actions when prompted—sometimes individually, often together as a group.

It’s designed to be safe, clear, and inclusive. There’s no pressure, no scripts, and nothing you can do “wrong.” Even the shyest people are supported to take part, and by the end, participants consistently say it was far easier—and more fun—than they expected.

Four people sitting around a conference table engaged in a discussion, with various items like notebooks, cups, and drinks on the table.

Running ‘The Devil in Weatherall’ at the Hawkes Bay Chamber of Commerce.

ready to level up your leadership?

Group of diverse women and men sitting around a table in a library room, engaging in a lively meeting or discussion, with shelves filled with books in the background.

Buy your ticket today - places are limited so get in quick!

Auckland Tickets (SOLD OUT)
Wellington Tickets
Christchurch Tickets (SOLD OUT)