Strengthening leaders, organisations and communities through relational and intercultural practice.
Led by Megan Ellis (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha), What it Takes is a small practice that leads with manaaki alongside the people, teams and organisations we work with.
Our work sits in health, education, social care and Kaupapa Māori services - complex places where people are trying to serve others under real pressure. We bring together evidence, practice wisdom, and a relational framework, to enhance ways of working so whānau, kaimahi and organisations thrive.
Grounded in who we are.
Our people bring deep experience, genuine relationships and a shared commitment to purposeful intercultural transformational practice.
The work is relational. So are we.
Professional development, supervision, coaching, leadership, team and organisational development for complex mahi.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
My strength is not mine alone, but the strength of many.
The bindings that steady and guide our practice.
Ngā Tauhere is our kaupapa - the values, bindings and relational commitments that hold What it Takes steady. They sit at the heart of our mahi, guiding how we enter relationships, hold purpose, attend to power and support useful action when the work is complex and the stakes are real.
Across professional development, supervision, coaching, group facilitation, research, evaluation and organisational work, Ngā Tauhere help us stay close to what matters: people, purpose, practice and impact.
They create enough safety for honest kōrero and enough structure for movement. They help us work with warmth, precision and courage so the mauri of the mahi is protected and strengthened.
The kete holds knowledge, skill and practice wisdom - what we bring, what we share and what we continue to strengthen together.
The six values that guide our practice
Ngā Tauhere
The bindings that steady and guide our practice
Built on trust. Sustained by reciprocity.
Our partners share our commitment to people-centred, values-led practice. These relationships are not transactional — they are woven into the fabric of how we work.
CCS Disability Action
Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa
BLENNZ
The Southern Initiative
Ohomairangi Trust
He Herenga Kura
Come, gather, and grow together.
The Art and Practice of Supervision
PostponedDeepening relational skills, real tools, and purposeful presence
When
TBC
Dates to be confirmed
Where
To be confirmed
Ōtepoti
Facilitated by
Jennifer Bell
& Megan Ellis
$900 + gst
$180 deposit to secure your place