Strengthening Leaders, Strengthening Communities – A Reflection: Talanoa Tupuaga Programme 2025

By Toni Helleur, Development Navigator & CEO, I AM Māngere

Before joining the Talanoa Tupuaga programme, I AM Māngere was supporting a growing number of community champions and Pacific-led organisations who needed guidance in governance, funding, digital capability, and organisational development.

As Development Navigator and CEO, I could see that our people were hungry for this knowledge, yet many lacked access to practical, culturally grounded tools. I realised that to serve them well, I needed to upskill myself — not just to understand the content, but to experience the programme firsthand so I could refer others with genuine insight and confidence.

It felt like the right time to seek support because our organisation was moving into a phase where stronger systems, clearer processes, and more capability building were essential.

I wanted to strengthen my own leadership toolkit so I could better guide the champions and groups who rely on us. ANCAD’s Talanoa Tupuaga offered a space that aligned with our values — Pacific-led, hands on, and grounded in real world application.

The most helpful parts of the programme were the step-by-step activities, case studies, and the way ANCAD’s Pasifika Capability Lead, Clark Tuagalu broke down complex topics into simple, practical learning.

Governance, funding pathways, and digital tools were presented in a way that made sense for Pacific organisations, and each session added something meaningful to my kete. The cultural grounding of the programme made the learning feel relevant, empowering, and deeply connected to the communities we serve.

Since completing the programme, I have gained greater clarity and confidence in how to support Pacific-led groups through their development journeys. I now have practical tools, templates, and frameworks that I can share directly with our champions. Our internal capability at I AM Māngere has strengthened, and I feel more equipped to guide organisations through governance conversations, funding readiness, and system improvements as well as continual referrals to attend this programme themselves in person. This has already led to clearer processes, stronger referrals, and more intentional support for our community partners.

These changes have had a direct impact on the community champions and groups we serve. With stronger knowledge and better tools, I can provide more meaningful guidance, helping groups become more confident, organised, and sustainable. This lifts the quality of support available across Māngere and ensures our champions are better positioned to deliver for their own communities.

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue sharing what I’ve learned and to actively encourage Pacific-led organisations to participate in ANCAD’s Talanoa Tupuaga programme. The programme has strengthened my leadership and reaffirmed my commitment to building capability across our community. My next steps are to embed this learning into our development pathways at I AM Māngere and continue championing opportunities that uplift and empower our people.

 

Who is I AM Māngere?

Many Streams of Our Community Trust – Ngā Manganui o te Hapori – is a community-led charitable trust established in 2020 after many years of grassroots action in Māngere. Grounded in the principle he tangata, he tangata, he tangata, our work centres on people, relationships, and collective wellbeing.

Our flagship initiatives – I AM Māngere, the Māngere Community Enviro Hub, Street Chats, and the Nesian Collective – act as local connectors, mobilisers, and enablers.

Developed by the community, for the community, these initiatives bring together contributors, champions, organisations, and whānau to build a thriving and supported community across Māngere, Ōtāhuhu, and neighbouring suburbs.

We create shared community spaces, mobile engagement hubs, and trusted navigation support that help individuals, families, and groups access services, opportunities, and pathways that strengthen their wellbeing.

Our model is increasingly being replicated as demand for our approach grows. Working from neighbourhood streets through to regional and national stakeholders, we ensure community voice, needs, and aspirations shape the systems that affect them, while identifying gaps and opportunities to create meaningful, lasting change.

What do we do?

• Support for individuals and families (helping people navigate the range of social services, support, and opportunities available to them; Street Chats; mobile service hub; advocacy).
• Empowering community champions (connecting people to others in the community with capability and experience in navigating certain issues, systems, and services).
• Connecting the community (facilitating cross-sector engagement; bringing community and organisations together to work together; forum and network involvement).
• Capacity building for community groups (shared workspace; upskilling local groups in governance, admin, funding applications; sourcing seed funding for start-ups).