2026 Rainbow Supervision Training

Professional supervision gives kaimahi space to reflect
on and strengthen their professional practice, work through the tough stuff and look after their wairua.

For rainbow organisations across Aotearoa, stretched budgets and a shortage of supervisors with genuine connections to their communities can make that appropriate support tricky to access.

In 2026, to help grow the pool of rainbow supervisors,
we sponsored 12 kaimahi to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Supervision at Ara Institute
of Canterbury, covering their tuition fees. All 12 are part
of rainbow communities and already work alongside them, bringing lived experience and relationships to
their learning.

The kaimahi are building supervision skills and connections they can draw on beyond the course.

The training brings together mātauranga Māori and
values, reflection and practical experience to help them offer culturally responsive, ethical supervision.

They’ve also developed a draft pay-it-forward scheme
to share the awhi they’ve received. The scheme proposes that each of the 12 kaimahi aim to offer one person an hour of free supervision each month for a year, with room to adapt to what works for both.

The group already brings experience from counselling, social work, mental health, advocacy and community roles. Adding professional supervision skills to that knowledge means more kaimahi will be able to find
skilled support from someone with a genuine understanding of their communities and mahi.

The ripples reach beyond the 12 people training. Growing the pool of rainbow supervisors and making supervision more affordable helps change what support is available across the sector. That’s the systems change we’re working towards: support that strengthens professional practice and helps kaimahi keep doing their mahi well.