Reflections

Are you the kind of Team Leader who shies away from having “challenging conversations” with people in your team, preferring instead to simply hope issues of poor performance and difficult team dynamics will address themselves?

Are you someone who finds the stress of your organisation or workplace is greater than the stress of your actual mahi / work? I find organisational pressures are increasingly the major stress supervisees are dealing with, rather than the work itself.

Do you struggle to know how to ground your practice in Māori cultural values and concepts? Cultural competence is a requirement for all registered professionals, and while cultural competence looks different in different countries, communities and organisations, it is something we all can ultimately benefit from.

Building true cultural competence takes more than ticking boxes — it takes reflection, support, and practical tools we can bring into our mahi. In this piece, Leisa shares how supervision can help practitioners ground their work in Māori values, no matter how Western their workplace might be.

A good supervision relationship isn’t just about support — it’s also about being willing to ask the “crunchy” questions that help practitioners grow. In this reflection, Leisa shares real examples of how thoughtful challenge can strengthen practice, build confidence, and keep our mahi grounded in ethics and integrity.

Balancing professional and personal responsibilities isn’t always straightforward — even for experienced practitioners. In this reflection, Leisa shares a real-life supervision kōrero with “Tegan” (not her real name), exploring how supervision can help social workers find practical, culturally grounded strategies to manage competing demands, stay connected to their values, and protect their own hauora (wellbeing).