About Manawa Kōkopu

Manawa Kōkopu — to connect the heart of the dots and harness potential — catalysing insight, innovation, and improvement through culturally grounded transformation.

Created with a clear vision to weave together mātauranga Māori, creative thinking, and transformational leadership, we support people, teams, and organisations to turn reflection into action, values into strategy, and potential into impact.

At Manawa Kōkopu, we do not simply advise — we collaborate. Our work spans across complexity and context, supporting our partners to think consciously, act deliberately, and lead with courage, clarity, and care, enhancing interoperability as enduring tukutuku mahi – the woven work that connects people, practice, and purpose.

We believe in relationships before transactions and honouring the past while shaping the future. Whether partnering on strategy, guiding professional growth, or walking alongside change leadership, we are here to grow capability, amplify integrity, and embed transformational momentum.

Connecting the Heart of the Dots and Harnessing Potential

Manawa Kōkopu is a metaphor rich in meaning. Manawa speaks to the heart — a source of vitality, patience, and emotional strength. Kōkopu refers both to a native freshwater fish, known for its ability to adapt and survive in changing environments, and to a prized form of pounamu marked with distinct dotted patterns.

Together, they symbolise quiet strength, resilience, and the ability to endure and evolve. At its essence, Manawa Kōkopu represents the ability to connect the heart of the dots — to navigate complexity with clarity, make sense of what matters, and respond with wisdom.

At Manawa Kōkopu, we specialise in thought and innovation leadership — looking for meaning where others may not, listening deeply, drawing connections, and bringing clarity to complex situations. Our mahi centres people, place, and purpose, focusing on awakening and harnessing potential, and promoting continuous development.

The poutama pattern is central to our identity. Seen in tukutuku panels and traditional weaving, its ascending steps symbolise the pursuit of knowledge and the layered nature of growth — progress built through learning, reflection, and whakapapa.

Like Tāwhaki and Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, who ascended to the upper realms in search of sacred wisdom, we walk alongside those navigating their own paths — helping to connect insight to action, and vision to practice.

Ngā Pou o Manawa Kōkopu

Leadership Guided by Whakapapa and Purpose

Megan Tahere

Manu Manawa Kōkopu

Founder and Director | Principal Consultant

Te Whānau-ā-Āpanui, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Raukawa, Ngāti Whātua, me Ngāpuhi

Megan is a proud mother of five and grandmother to ten mokopuna, grounding her in the values of whānau, service, and intergenerational purpose.

Her leadership spans the public sector, not-for-profit, and kaupapa Māori spheres, with senior, executive, and governance roles in health, education, and Māori development. Beginning her professional career as a Registered Midwife, she progressed to the tertiary education sector, where she led significant shifts in culturally responsive teaching and learning.

Most recently, Megan served in national roles as General Manager – Kahu Taurima, Maternity and Early Years at Te Aka Whai Ora, and as Hauora Māori Advisor within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Health Reform Transition Unit. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Public Health at Massey University, exploring cultural competence as a threshold concept grounded in kaupapa Māori.

Drawing on this breadth of experience, Megan is the strategic steward and principal consultant of Manawa Kōkopu. Her leadership bridges inherited wisdom from Te Ao Māori with future-facing insight carried into Te Ao Hou. Through each engagement, she partners with people and organisations driving kaupapa-aligned transformation, offering strategic guidance that is values-led, future-focused, and grounded in tikanga.

Henare Kani

Manu Hauangiangi

Cultural Steward | Senior Consultant

Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Ngāti Tūwharetoa

Henare is a father, grandfather, artist, cultural advisor, and kaupapa Māori strategist with decades of experience across governance, wellbeing, and cultural development. He describes himself simply:
“I have a lifetime of varied experiences that have given me many tools to share. I love working with whānau, hapū and iwi, and being involved with the development, preservation and cultural vitality of people and the universe. It enables me to contribute to the wellbeing of the world we live in and want to care for.”

He has held leadership roles as a council member, kaimanaaki, kaupapa advisor, and board trustee across sectors including health, tourism, education, and iwi development. He is also the author of Tūranga Kaupapa, the cultural competency guidelines for midwives in Aotearoa. His work spans cultural audits, coaching, workforce development, political advocacy, and storytelling.

Essential to Manawa Kōkopu, Henare elevates the cultural integrity and depth of our kaupapa. A highly respected source of mātauranga, tikanga, and quiet strength, his presence and wisdom ensure our work remains grounded, aligned, and responsive to the evolving realities of Te Ao Hou. The name Manu Hōmiromiro — gifted by Henare — continues to guide the direction of one of our core developmental pathways. Henare also brings cultural guidance to Megan’s PhD research — further shaping the kaupapa that informs the foundations of Manawa Kōkopu.

Nicky Nelson

Manu Kohuātea

Kaupapa Steward | Senior Consultant

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki a Rua, Rangitāne

Nicky is a proud māmā of three young wāhine, bringing a deep sense of care and responsibility into how she works with others to achieve purposeful impact that endures over time.

A Registered Nurse with a Master of Nursing, her career spans neonatal intensive care, paediatrics, oncology, and older persons health. From this foundation, she has moved into senior leadership roles across the Aotearoa health sector, including Te Whatu Ora, Te Aka Whai Ora, University of Waikato, Ngā Manukura Ō Āpōpō, and Healthcare NZ.

Her experience includes programme leadership, operational planning, financial oversight, tertiary education, commissioning, and service improvement, drawing on a depth of practice across complex health settings to strengthen system performance and advance equity and culturally intelligent practice.

Within Manawa Kōkopu, Nicky holds the role of Manu Kohuātea — Kaupapa Steward and Senior Consultant, bridging strategy and delivery across the organisation’s engagements. Her leadership is grounded in authenticity, clarity of purpose, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, supporting people and organisations to move forward with confidence and kaupapa-aligned direction.

Woven Insight and Transferable Expertise

Shaped by a journey of leadership, kaupapa Māori development, system transformation, and continuous learning, Megan has woven a kete rich in insight, lived experience, clinical knowledge, and practical expertise. Recognised for her adaptability and breadth of capability, she brings a versatile skill set to her practice, characterised by clarity, connection, and integrity — creating the conditions to think expansively, act with intention, and lead with lasting impact.

Leading national, regional, and local programmes that deliver meaningful outcomes and embed lasting change.
Aligning strategy, planning, and delivery to ensure action is purposeful and coordinated.
Navigating the machinery of government to influence direction and unlock opportunity.
Contributing to policy that is grounded, practical, and informed by evidence and lived experience.
Exercising political judgment and situational awareness in complex environments.
Holding space for bold thinking, transformation, and conscious leadership.

Designing commissioning approaches that centre equity, value, and impact.
Managing significant budgets and negotiating investment decisions with confidence, care, and accountability.
Embedding systems for performance, risk, and continuous improvement that support collective success.
Overseeing core corporate functions — including finance, digital, people and culture, and operations — with both strategic and operational clarity.
Delivering under pressure with calm leadership, structure, and responsiveness.

Building trusted relationships across agencies, iwi, and communities, grounded in whakapapa and shared purpose.
Supporting high-performing teams through compassionate, transparent, and values-based leadership.
Designing and delivering development programmes that support capability uplift through culturally grounded facilitation, coaching, and learning.

Making sense of complexity through creative, critical, and systems thinking.
Writing with clarity and depth — producing thoughtful reports, advice, and long-form documents that inform decision-making.
Communicating with presence, honesty, and intention across diverse settings.
Upholding te Tiriti o Waitangi in both principle and practice, with a deep commitment to tikanga and cultural integrity.

Pakihi Māori Partnerships

Digital Creative – Ngaiterangi Ruawai

The visual revitalisation of the tohu within Kura Poutama has been undertaken by Ngaiterangi Ruawai (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Whakatohea, Ngāi te Rangi), a digital creative whose work reflects exceptional instinct, technical precision, and depth of insight.

Ngaiterangi has uplifted and unified the core motifs across Kura Poutama, evolving them into a coherent visual system. The poutama now carries greater structural presence as the backbone of progression and insight, while each manu within Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights expresses its rhythm with renewed clarity and integrity.

Grounded in mātauranga Māori and contemporary design practice, his work honours the original meaning of each form while elevating its cohesion and communicative power. Through disciplined and thoughtful translation of kaupapa into visual form, Ngaiterangi strengthens the way Manawa Kōkopu kaupapa are seen, understood, and carried forward.

Brand Identity and Merchandise – Brandright

We are proud to partner with Tina Bertram (Patuharakeke) and the team at Brandright in Pukekohe, whose manaaki and expertise in brand identity and merchandise have helped us to bring the Manu Hōmiromiro: Poutama Insights Takahoa Poutama and wānanga elements into the hands of whaihua.

Print Design and Production – GoGraphics

We are proud to partner with Darryl Deed (Te Ātiawa) of GoGraphics in Waiuku, whose precision and craftsmanship in print production uphold the quality and integrity of our Kura Poutama resources. His technical expertise and attention to detail ensure each resource carries the kaupapa with clarity and presence.

Takahoa Poutama – The Companion of Ascent

WĀNANGA: Poutama Kōrero For Kaupapa-Aligned Practice

Nā te haerenga i hanga ai ahau; mā te āwhina ka toha aku mātauranga.

Shaped by the journey, through service my knowledge is shared.

Connect with us. We are here to listen, understand, and support your journey.

Connect With Us

Protecting Our Taonga – Intellectual Property Notice:

All artwork, visual designs, and written content on this website — including frameworks, tools, workshop materials, written concepts, and whakatauākī — are protected by copyright and remain the intellectual property of Manawa Kōkopu™ and its collaborators. These taonga are shared with intention and reflect distinct ways of thinking, designing, and engaging that are deeply aligned with purpose and practice. Unauthorised use, reproduction, distribution, or adaptation of any part of this content — including for commercial or training purposes — is strictly prohibited and may constitute a breach of the New Zealand Copyright Act 1994 and applicable intellectual property protections. If you are interested in using or adapting any part of the material, please contact us to discuss appropriate permissions and attribution.