How we’re inspiring
Racial Equity Transformation in the South PacificEstablished in 2016 as the first satellite outside of the United States, the purpose of the Courageous Conversation® South Pacific Institute is to advance a more racially equitable and inclusive Aotearoa in which all New Zealanders can live their most empowered lives grounded in the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi).
Our Offerings
In early 2018, the South Pacific Institute transitioned from its founding partnership with Unitec Institute of Technology to become an independent New Zealand company serving the entire South Pacific region. We now deliver consultancy and professional development services to the private, educational and health sectors, government and community organizations in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
The South Pacific Institute designs and facilitates learning experiences to improve race relations and advance racial equity in Aotearoa by providing a pathway for all New Zealanders to actively participate healthy and productive conversations about race, using the Courageous Conversation® Protocol.
This dialogic approach honors the Treaty (Te Tiriti) governance model in a context of ever present racial and ethnic diversity, with our offerings designed and co-facilitated by Māori—“people of the land” ( Tangata Whenua) and non-Māori—“people of the treaty” (Tangata Tiriti) facilitators.
“If the Master teaches what is error, the disciple’s submission is enslavement; if she teaches truth, this submission is ennoblement.”
The institute aims to
Collaborate with other organizations
Deliver free trainings to the public
Prioritize youth through scholarships
Our Partnerships
The South Pacific Institute also supports and partially funds the Courageous Conversation® Aotearoa Foundation. As an independent New Zealand registered charitable trust, the Foundation aims to deliver Courageous Conversation® free to the New Zealand public. The Foundation also prioritizes youth through scholarships and wraparound support within communities that have been impacted by a racialized incident.
The South Pacific Institute collaborates with organizations in New Zealand and Australia to provide equitable and inclusive learning opportunities in personal, professional, organizational and community settings. The South Pacific Institute’s offerings include:
- Courageous Conversation® Taster session
- Courageous Conversation® – The Experience
- Beyond Diversity™ flagship workshop
- Beyond Diversity™ II
- Leading for Racial Equity
- She Speaks, She Listens – A Courageous Conversation® about race and gender
- Race and Place – A Courageous Conversation® about race and indigeneity
“The first thing necessary in teaching is a master; the second is a pupil capable of carrying on the tradition.”