Kōtuitui is the community-led backbone for Tē Tauihu’s for-purpose sector. We exist to make the work of for-purpose organisations easier and to support the sector to work collectively and with greater impact.
We serve Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough – from Golden Bay to Wairau – working alongside more than 1,400 community organisations, charities and social enterprises.
A well supported, connected and capable for-purpose sector working collectively to support thriving Te Tauihu communities.
Making the work of for-purpose organisations easier and supporting greater for-purpose sector impact.
Kōtuitui was born from three years of community co-design. It was created to meet a clear regional need: a trusted, kaupapa-driven agency that connects, strengthens and advocates for the sector – with iwi mandate and community backing.
Kōtuitui is guided by a Kawenata – a relationship covenant – with Ngā Iwi o Tē Tauihu. This is not a document that sits on a shelf. It is a daily practice.
We understand our role as tangata Tiriti: supporting mana motuhake and walking alongside iwi and hapū as they pursue their own development, in their own way. Our relationships are grounded in healing, trust and genuine partnership. Iwi values are visible in the mahi of community organisations.
Read the Kawenata
Kōtuitui is led by a small, committed team supported by an experienced Board of Trustees and guided by Ngā Iwi o Tē Tauihu.
Megan Courtney (Chair)
Megan is a leading advocate and enabler of collaboration and Te Tiriti honouring community-led change. She’s a firm believer in the power of local people and places to do amazing things and loves learning from, and working with communities wanting to make positive change both in Te Tauihu, and beyond.
Nikki Brown (Deputy Chair)
Nikki brings extensive experience in whānau support, community advocacy, and organisational leadership to her role as Deputy Chair. She has worked across various roles in the Marlborough region, including as a Whānau Ora Navigator and Coordinator for the Marlborough Violence Intervention Project. Passionate about child development, neurodiversity, and Te Ao Māori, Nikki is committed to strengthening communities through collaboration and meaningful engagement.
Felicity Palmer
Felicity Palmer was born and raised on the unceded land of the Cammeraygal people of the Eora Nation, in Sydney, Australia. Until her move to Te Tauihu in 2021, Felicity lived for twenty years in the USA. Felicity has a wealth of experience in the for-purpose sector, including as Vice President of Development and Communications for Executive Service Corps of Southern California, where she was responsible for fundraising and external communications. She has developed strong governance experience from serving on and chairing boards in both the USA and New Zealand. Felicity holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Columbia University. An immigrant twice over, she loves the natural beauty and friendly, down-to-earth people of Te Tauihu. Felicity is deeply committed to anti-racism, equity, and being part of a welcoming and diverse society.
Sara Shaughnessy
Sara Shaughnessy is Kaiwhakahaere (Chief Executive) at Hauora Matua Te Tai Aorere (Nelson Bays Primary Health). She has a background in strategic health operational management and leadership in a variety of clinical service delivery settings including primary, secondary, and tertiary. Sara is a registered nurse, who has maintained competencies and worked in many areas of healthcare. She has a Master of Health Science endorsed Health Sciences from Otago University.
Angela Wilson
Angela is a values-driven leader who believes strong communities are built through connection, trust and shared action. With experience across local government, regional development and business, she brings both strategic insight and practical delivery skills to her work. Angela has led cross-sector initiatives that bring iwi, government and community partners together to achieve lasting impact. She’s committed to building capability, strengthening relationships and supporting communities to shape their own future. Based in Blenheim, Angela is proud to contribute her experience and commitment to the Te Tauihu Community Development Agency board and the wider region.
Scott Palmer
Scott Palmer brings extensive leadership experience and a strong background in central government to the Te Tauihu Community Development Agency board. Raised across Nelson and Blenheim, Scott has a deep connection to the region and a lifelong commitment to serving its communities. He is passionate about fostering inclusive growth, strengthening local partnerships, and driving positive change. Scott feels privileged to call the Nelson region home and to live in a community where so many people are passionate about making a difference.
Kelli Campbell
Based at the Nelson Environment Centre, Kelli brings close to a decade of experience in the for-purpose sector, blending data-driven thinking with a genuine heart for community. With a Master of Science and a background in geospatial science, she is fascinated by how people and the environment influence one another. Now deeply rooted in Nelson with her family, Kelli is committed to using evidence and connection to help our region thrive.
Leigh Manson (Pou Whakahaere)
Leigh has led significant regional and national change initiatives including the establishment of Te Tauihu Community Development Agency, and leading the development and national implementation of Advance Care Planning and supporting place-based wellbeing. She brings expertise in strategic leadership, co-design, change facilitation, and community engagement, alongside strong communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills. Leigh has a Masters in Business Administration, Bachelors and Postgraduate law degrees, and is working towards a Masters in Regional Development.
Amber Brown (Pou Āwhina Whakahaere)
With more than 12 years of experience in project and programme management in the for-purpose sector across diverse communities in Aotearoa, Asia, and the Pacific, Amber has seen the impact that well-designed, values-based initiatives can have when grounded in strong relationships and local leadership. Her work has spanned everything from early-stage design through to implementation, monitoring, and reporting, always with a focus on practical systems, cultural responsiveness, and collaboration. She recently relocated to beautiful Nelson with her husband and their seven-year-old, and she is excited to put down roots and contribute to the thriving for-purpose community here in Te Tauihu. Amber looks forward to supporting collective impact and helping organisations do their best work.
Morag Ingram (Pou Hononga)
Morag first worked in the for-purpose sector 25 years ago, starting with pro bono PR work that laid a foundation of understanding and commitment that continues to guide her work today. Over the years, she has developed as a leader with experience spanning communications and management roles across both public and private sectors. Morag is committed to fostering the growth and development of Te Tauihu for future generations. To play her part in that, she brings strategic communications expertise, political understanding, and relationship-building skills to TTCDA. More importantly though, she brings a real appreciation for the vital work happening across the sector.
Ali Boswijk, Jennifer Beatson, Blair Carpenter, Nick Clarke, Linda Connor, Megan Courtney, Te Haupai Davis, Estella Tawha-Davis, Deborah Delliessi, Kindra Douglas, Lani Evans, Ventura Fitzgerald, Shane Graham, Cathie Gould, Jodie Griffiths, Venus Guy, Bill Huppler, James Hodgson, Chloe Howorth, Suzanne Jones, Andrea Kepes, Theresa Kidd-Foley, Eva Lawrence, Lisa Lawrence, Marie Lindaya, Leigh Manson, Debbie McLean-Janet, Penny Molnar, Gordon Oldfield, Yulia Panfylova, Jude Porteous, Erin Powell, Robin Schiff, Jac Stevenson, Eileen Varley, Liz Webb, Bevan Woodward, Lloyd Tibble
A name with purpose, gifted through kōrero. Kōtuitui can be translated as to interlace, to connect or to unite – from the verb tuitui, to stitch, weave or link things together.
We make the work of for-purpose organisations easier. Across Tē Tauihu, more than 1,400 community groups, charities and social enterprises do the work that keeps our region thriving. Kōtuitui exists to support them – so they can spend more of their energy on the communities they serve. We work across four interconnected roles.
We make sure the whole for-purpose sector is included, seen and connected. We build relationships and trust across the region, reduce isolation, increase belonging and visibility and ensure information and opportunities reach everyone – including small and grassroots organisations that have less access to support. Through hui, surveys, and co-design, we make it easier for organisations to see and support each other.
Alongside others, we build the capability of organisations, leaders and boards to do their work well. This includes governance, leadership development, financial sustainability and supporting culturally grounded ways of working. We help organisations find back-office efficiencies – through resource sharing, collaboration and connection to tools and support that reduce overhead and free up capacity for mission delivery.Our focus is practical: turning ideas into action and challenges into learning.
We help organisations find practical ways to work alongside each other. We support resource sharing, reduce duplication and help coordinate collective responses to complex regional challenges. We strengthen peer networks and mutual support and we back shared initiatives that no single organisation could sustain alone.
We hold the long view for the health of the whole sector. We gather and share sector intelligence, help the region make sense of what is happening and advocate for better funding and policy settings. As kaitiaki, we uphold our Kawenata commitments and act with the next generation in mind.
Welcome to the home of our for-purpose sector in Te Tauihu.
The Kōtuitui weave makes it easier to find partners, share opportunities, and stay in the loop with what’s happening across our region. It’s your space to connect with the people, tools and collaborations that help you do your work better, and with more support around you.
Everything you need to stay connected lives here.
Join the weave.
These are the conditions under which we do our mahi – seven ways of working that guide every interaction, every decision, every relationship.
Everything we do is shaped by our responsibility to future generations. We build infrastructure, relationships and trust that will outlast us. This is the spirit of Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho – stewarding what we inherit and what we leave behind.
We listen before we lead, acknowledge our limits and stay curious. We create and hold conditions for good things to happen – connection, kōrero, collective action. We look for where we are genuinely needed and step aside where others are better placed.
The way we treat people matters as much as what we achieve. Manaakitanga – care, respect and the creation of welcoming spaces – is not incidental to our work, it is the work. We bring warmth to every interaction.
Systems change is slow and the organisations we support are under pressure. We time our support to what the sector needs, following as much as we lead. Honouring others’ self-determination by not overriding their pace with our own.
Pōno – we say what we mean, we do what we say and we acknowledge when we get things wrong. Trust is built through transparency and consistency over time.
Mana Taurite – we actively work to address unequal access to power, funding and opportunity. We notice who is missing from rooms and why and we act on that.
Aūahatanga – we are open to new ideas and we learn from what doesn’t work. We model the adaptive, innovative thinking we want to see across the sector.
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If you have any questions or would like to reach out to connect or for support please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Have an event to publicise and share? You can do this here: https://kotuitui.org/create-event/
Have some news or an update to share with the For-Purpose sector across Te Tauihu: news@tetauihucommunity.org
Leigh Manson, Pouwhakahaera – lead@tetauihucommunity.org
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Stories, events, resources, hui and updates, straight from Te Tauihu’s for-purpose sector.