Talanoa Tupuaga Showcase celebrates six weeks of growth, leadership and Pacific capability
Community leaders, volunteers, families and supporters recently gathered in Warkworth to celebrate the successful completion of the Talanoa Tupuaga Rodney Pacific Capability Incubator Programme, marking the end of an inspiring six-week journey of learning, growth and connection.
Hosted at the Mahurangi Hope Community Centre, the Showcase Finale brought together participating organisations to share their stories, reflect on their learning, and celebrate the progress they have made in strengthening their organisations for the future.
Over the six-week programme, participants explored practical topics including governance, strategic planning, funding readiness, financial capability, communications and organisational development. More importantly, they built stronger relationships with one another, shared experiences, and gained greater confidence to lead their organisations with purpose and vision.
The showcase provided each organisation with the opportunity to present its journey—highlighting key learnings, challenges overcome, and the aspirations they now have for the future. Every presentation demonstrated a commitment to building stronger organisations that are better equipped to serve Pacific families and communities across the Rodney district.
One of the strengths of Talanoa Tupuaga is that it recognises capability-building is about more than knowledge alone. It is about creating a culturally grounded space where organisations can learn together, encourage one another, and grow through shared experiences. Through a Pacific lens, the programme combines practical organisational development with the values of relationship, service and community that sit at the heart of Pacific leadership.
The evening also recognised that community leadership is never a journey taken alone. Families, friends, mentors and supporters joined participants to celebrate their achievements, acknowledging the important role they play in encouraging and sustaining those who volunteer their time to strengthen their communities.
The Showcase Finale concluded with food, fellowship and conversation, providing an opportunity to celebrate not only what had been achieved over the previous six weeks, but also the new relationships and collaborations that had been formed along the way.
ANCAD extends its sincere thanks to Foundation North for its generous support of the programme, enabling Pacific organisations to access high-quality capability-building opportunities. We also acknowledge the outstanding leadership of ANCAD’s Clark Tuagalu, whose passion and commitment guided participants throughout the programme, together with our guest presenters who generously shared their knowledge and experience.
While the Showcase marked the completion of the programme, it also signalled the beginning of the next chapter for each organisation. Equipped with stronger governance, clearer strategic direction, greater confidence and new connections, participants now return to their communities ready to put their learning into action and continue creating lasting impact for the people they serve.
Check out the photos from the event here below.
